Recently...
So I know that I have been writing a whole lot and then I haven't written anything since then, but I did warn you that this was likely to happen. A lot has happened since then, so I don't know how to write about everything. I guess I should just start with what happened on Tuesday 17 August 2010.
I worked normal hours and it was a good day. Although it was also an interesting day. The preschool owner, Juliet, has been hinting that she wants me to work here longer, but today, she actually officially offered me a job here. It was difficult talking to her. She said that there was an opening for me, and that as of November, I would be a registered teacher (not a relieving teacher) and that I would be paid as a registered teacher.
I told her I already purchased my ticket, so she said I could think on it. They would love to have me, and even if it was only for a few weeks (meaning right before Christmas) it would be great. So now I have more options, and I didn't even want more options. I had a plan, and now the plan got trickier. I was content with going home and taking up a sub job until I could find something else. Plus I would be back for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Now I am having second thoughts. I know I have to leave the country in January and I definitely want to go home at Christmas, but in the meantime? I don't know.
This is such a contrast from where I started. I was really glad to be going home. This has been such a difficult trip with so many problems and frustrations. Now I am just starting to get the hang of things and really liking my job...Now it is hard to think that I am leaving. But, it is also hard to think of not coming back to my friends and family. I know it is only going to be a 6 week difference, but it is still a hard decision to make.
So I did a little research to see what was available first. Then I talked to a few people (including Anne and Alister to see if they would be okay with me staying here). They said they were fine with that. Then I talked to my mom. She said it would probably be better for me (even though she hated to admit that as it means me staying here longer).
So I started looking for flights. Of course they were way more expensive. I was having a hard time making a decision. I kept looking for cheaper flights and trying to figure out how to transfer the flight I already had. The flight I had would not work for the time or the days that I wanted. I kept going through this agency to figure out what to do, and they couldn't help me all that much. Not for what I wanted anyway. It cost me an arm and a leg, it felt like, but it will help me in the long run. So I have my ticket (again) for 23 December. I will actually be arriving before I leave (one of those strange international dateline thing). So I will be here later than planned, but I will be working full time and getting more experience. Let's see if this helps me get a job when I get back to the States!
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Short Entry
Monday 17 August 2010
I got a text from the preschool director this morning asking if I could come in at 8. The lady who was on holiday is back today, so I had my normal schedule. When I arrived, the lady who was on holiday was coming in and trying to turn off the alarm. The code changed, so it was going off when another lady came to turn it off. It was an interesting start of the day. The rest of the day turned out fine though. Wow, this is a short entry...
I got a text from the preschool director this morning asking if I could come in at 8. The lady who was on holiday is back today, so I had my normal schedule. When I arrived, the lady who was on holiday was coming in and trying to turn off the alarm. The code changed, so it was going off when another lady came to turn it off. It was an interesting start of the day. The rest of the day turned out fine though. Wow, this is a short entry...
Sunday Songs
Sunday 16 August 2010
We headed into town and Alison got reservations. Last night, she booked a trip to Hamner Springs starting tomorrow. Then I turned in a library book that I have attempted to read for 2 months! I didn't even get a 1/4 of the way through the book.
We went to Church and I was handed two pieces of music that we were singing today for Church. I had no idea when we were singing, so I just watched everyone else for instruction.
Someone asked us if we would volunteer for Family Night this Friday. We agreed. We really have no idea what is going on then or what we are doing, but we will be there. We quickly went home to eat a light meal and then went to the retirement home. We set up the place a bit. The brass band was playing as well. We kind of alternated. The band would play, then we would sing...The end song, we played and sang together. It was kind of interesting, because a few people are in the band and songsters. So they had to go back and forth after every song.
It was actually really fun. I talked to several people afterwards. One of the guys in the band mentioned he was Justice of the Peace and that I needed to get married so I could stay here. Well, fat chance!
We headed into town and Alison got reservations. Last night, she booked a trip to Hamner Springs starting tomorrow. Then I turned in a library book that I have attempted to read for 2 months! I didn't even get a 1/4 of the way through the book.
We went to Church and I was handed two pieces of music that we were singing today for Church. I had no idea when we were singing, so I just watched everyone else for instruction.
Someone asked us if we would volunteer for Family Night this Friday. We agreed. We really have no idea what is going on then or what we are doing, but we will be there. We quickly went home to eat a light meal and then went to the retirement home. We set up the place a bit. The brass band was playing as well. We kind of alternated. The band would play, then we would sing...The end song, we played and sang together. It was kind of interesting, because a few people are in the band and songsters. So they had to go back and forth after every song.
It was actually really fun. I talked to several people afterwards. One of the guys in the band mentioned he was Justice of the Peace and that I needed to get married so I could stay here. Well, fat chance!
Almost to the Present
Monday-Wednesday 2-4 August 2010
I was asked to work today until 4 and from 8 to 4 tomorrow as well as Wednesday. So now I get more hours. A little boy was saying something today about my face (he was playing around with a bug and saying it was landing on my face). So I asked the girl next to me how my face looked. She put her hand on me and said, "Beautiful." Leave it to a child to make me feel special. The preschool director was telling me that her son (who goes to the preschool) was watching a show with a character named Mandy. She did not know the characters names, so it confused her when her son said, "You know how Mandy doesn't have a nose?" When she asked, "Mandy at the preschool?" He said, "No, no. Not my Mandy." Oh, I love kids.
Thursday 5 August 2010
Alison and I continued working on our Australia trip. We got some reservations and last minute flights we needed. It was so frustrating. We just want this planning to be over! We planned to make lemon squares, but had no eggs. So we really didn't feel like a lot got done today.
Friday 6 August 2010
I got another parcel from Jim! This time, the focus was on Mexican food! Bless you! He knew that he would miss Mexican food the most, and that is what we really miss. So we had ingredients for enchiladas. We are so excited.
Saturday 7 August 2010
Today was such a lazy day. Really nothing got done. Today is a major game for Rugby in New Zealand. It was All Blacks vs. Wallabies (New Zealand vs. Australia). The game is in Christchurch. Alister got invited to the game, so he was really excited. Anne, Alison, and I watched a little of the game. Mostly the beginning that showed the Hakka (don't really know how it is spelled).
Sunday 9 August 2010
We went to Church and back home to work on our Australia trip. For as much as we are doing, we don't feel like anything is getting done. Today, Alison and I were invited to a couples house for Tea (we will probably go sometime next week).
Monday-Saturday 10-15 August 2010
I worked from 8-4 again and was asked to do the same Tuesday. My 8-4 schedule actually lasted all week. I came in everyday. One of the ladies who works here is out on holiday to see her first grandchild. So I took her group and have been teaching them. I taught them the Apple and Banana song and they love it. The Preschool director heard the song and said the children are starting to sing in American accents.
On Monday night, Anne, Alison , and I went to a ladies event. There was a lady who talked about colours and chose Alison to see what her colours were. She took a really long time and tried to have us figure it out, but she actually got confused. She finally decided Alison was "spring" and "autumn", but I honestly couldn't tell the difference with some of the colours. I guess that is why I am not a colour consultant. I didn't really think about the fact that that could actually be a job. Afterwards, there were crafts available. I decorated a box, and made a card. It was quite fun.
On Wednesday, I went to songsters and found out we are singing for a retirement home on Sunday. I don't know any of these songs well as I am sight reading, but I will be participating nonetheless. After practice, a guy in the brass band asked when I was going to play in the brass band, since they need more women (the brass band practices after the songsters). I said, I didn't have an instrument, and they said that wasn't an excuse. Good luck to them to try to make me play a brass instrument. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't. I have never had the talent to make a pleasant sound out of a brass instrument.
On Saturday, I had the house to myself. Anne and Alister were doing the TranzAlpine Train ride, and Alison was working until pretty late. So I just did laundry, attempted to catch up on my blog, and posted lots and lots of pictures!
I was asked to work today until 4 and from 8 to 4 tomorrow as well as Wednesday. So now I get more hours. A little boy was saying something today about my face (he was playing around with a bug and saying it was landing on my face). So I asked the girl next to me how my face looked. She put her hand on me and said, "Beautiful." Leave it to a child to make me feel special. The preschool director was telling me that her son (who goes to the preschool) was watching a show with a character named Mandy. She did not know the characters names, so it confused her when her son said, "You know how Mandy doesn't have a nose?" When she asked, "Mandy at the preschool?" He said, "No, no. Not my Mandy." Oh, I love kids.
Thursday 5 August 2010
Alison and I continued working on our Australia trip. We got some reservations and last minute flights we needed. It was so frustrating. We just want this planning to be over! We planned to make lemon squares, but had no eggs. So we really didn't feel like a lot got done today.
Friday 6 August 2010
I got another parcel from Jim! This time, the focus was on Mexican food! Bless you! He knew that he would miss Mexican food the most, and that is what we really miss. So we had ingredients for enchiladas. We are so excited.
Saturday 7 August 2010
Today was such a lazy day. Really nothing got done. Today is a major game for Rugby in New Zealand. It was All Blacks vs. Wallabies (New Zealand vs. Australia). The game is in Christchurch. Alister got invited to the game, so he was really excited. Anne, Alison, and I watched a little of the game. Mostly the beginning that showed the Hakka (don't really know how it is spelled).
Sunday 9 August 2010
We went to Church and back home to work on our Australia trip. For as much as we are doing, we don't feel like anything is getting done. Today, Alison and I were invited to a couples house for Tea (we will probably go sometime next week).
Monday-Saturday 10-15 August 2010
I worked from 8-4 again and was asked to do the same Tuesday. My 8-4 schedule actually lasted all week. I came in everyday. One of the ladies who works here is out on holiday to see her first grandchild. So I took her group and have been teaching them. I taught them the Apple and Banana song and they love it. The Preschool director heard the song and said the children are starting to sing in American accents.
On Monday night, Anne, Alison , and I went to a ladies event. There was a lady who talked about colours and chose Alison to see what her colours were. She took a really long time and tried to have us figure it out, but she actually got confused. She finally decided Alison was "spring" and "autumn", but I honestly couldn't tell the difference with some of the colours. I guess that is why I am not a colour consultant. I didn't really think about the fact that that could actually be a job. Afterwards, there were crafts available. I decorated a box, and made a card. It was quite fun.
On Wednesday, I went to songsters and found out we are singing for a retirement home on Sunday. I don't know any of these songs well as I am sight reading, but I will be participating nonetheless. After practice, a guy in the brass band asked when I was going to play in the brass band, since they need more women (the brass band practices after the songsters). I said, I didn't have an instrument, and they said that wasn't an excuse. Good luck to them to try to make me play a brass instrument. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't. I have never had the talent to make a pleasant sound out of a brass instrument.
On Saturday, I had the house to myself. Anne and Alister were doing the TranzAlpine Train ride, and Alison was working until pretty late. So I just did laundry, attempted to catch up on my blog, and posted lots and lots of pictures!
Warning: In Reverse Order
Lake Tekapo during a cloudy day.
At the summit of Mt. Iron. Looking down on Puzzling World.
Sights from Mt. Iron.
More sights from Mt. Iron.
Small part of Mt. Iron.
Sun setting over Lake Wanaka.
Lake Wanaka.
Mount Cook.
Mount Cook with other mountains across Lake Pukaki.
Mount Cook.
More blurry pictures of Mount Cook.
Lake Tekapo.
Lake Tekapo.
Church of the Good Shepherd.
More of Lake Tekapo. This is where I ate.Tripping it Alone
Friday 30 July 2010
I got up and got ready. I had a big breakfast and did last minute packing. Then we all went into town. Anne and Alister dropped us off, then Alison and I walked around till the bus arrived. I waited until everyone boarded, then I went on. It was a nice send off.
The day was beautiful. Clear, cloudless, sunny, amazing. We had a couple stops in the Canterbury Plains. The Southern Alpine was phenomenal. The snow was glistening. We had a 30 minute stop in Lake Tekapo. I was the first one off the bus. I started walking around the lake. It was absolutely beautiful. I walked fast, but enjoyed the sights thoroughly. I even saw the Church of the Good Shepherd. I met a girl as we waited for the bus driver switch. She was from Seattle. Anyway, we got on the bus and the bus driver mentioned a couple things along the way. He told us where Mt. Cook was from Lake Pukaki. Mount Cook is the biggest mountain in New Zealand. There are many tours that go there. The main tour that I was looking at involved seeing Mt. Cook, Lake Tekapo, Lake Pukaki, and the Church of the Good Shepherd. Basically everything I was seeing. I had planned to go on Sunday, but the forecast was not good. So I just saved myself a lot of money! The driver even stopped so we could get out and take pictures.
We arrived in Wanaka just after 5:00 pm. I saw some of my roommates as I checked in the hostel, but I hurried to get food out and ran out to see what I could see before it was too dark. I walked around the lake and found a walking track. I went a little ways, but it was getting really dark. I stopped and ate dinner, then headed back to the hostel. My roommates were playing games, but they were drinking alcohol with the game. For example, if someone rolls a 4, the person on the right has to drink steadily for 4 seconds...I just declined. For being in a room of 8 and having heavy drinkers (they hit the bar afterwards), they were quite considerate when they went to bed.
Saturday 31 July 2010
I got up a little after 8 and left. I wanted as much time as possible to go tramping. I first took a couple pictures of the mountains and lake. Lake Wanaka is really pretty. The clouds were looking a bit ominous. I stopped first at the i-site to pick up a map. Then I started to walk toward Puzzling World. I found the walking track Anne had mentioned. It was called Mt. Iron. I started up one side. Most people were going to the other side. I was glad, because I wanted to hear nature instead of people. There were some people behind me, but I let them pass. I felt like the track was vertical. My calves ached and my heart felt like it was going to pop out of my chest. I had to stop a couple times. The sights were absolutely brilliant. The only downside was that it was sprinkling a bit. When I got to the summit, I ate a snack and caught my breath before heading down. The way down was quite muddy and slippery. I was sliding every which way. So I had to go down slowly.
Then I went across the street to the Puzzling World (I actually had a good view of this place from the top of Mount Iron). It is a place that has a maze and weird stuff in it. I can't really describe anything, because it cost $12.50 to go in. I just peeked in a couple windows and walked around it.
Then I walked to the lake and went across one side all the way to waterfall creek. This was the end of the map, so it ended the walking track for me. It wasn't a waterfall at all, but an area of sand and water. It was pretty. Then I went along the water to the other side of the lake. This is what I started to do yesterday, but it got too dark. I went to Eely Point, Bremner Bay, and headed toward Beacon Point. I never got to a sign that said Beacon Point, but I think I was there, because I went to a place that looked like it was past Beacon Point on the map. I kept walking, but I had to turn around to catch the 5:00 bus to Queenstown. On my way back, I saw a pretty rainbow. The rain was pelting down at times, but there was nothing to do. The annoying thing was it was warm. I had to wear my jacket for the rain, but I was HOT!
I made it back to town and got the bus. My shoulders hurt from my back pack. Since I checked out, I had to take everything with me. I had been tramping all over the place, so everything in my body hurt, but I had a great time. I got into Queenstown at 6:30 and checked in. I looked around for a bit, but I was so tired, I just crashed. I was with several other girls. They took showers and had their pyjamas on. I thought they were going to bed, but they were actually getting ready to go clubbing. They used a ton of hairspray. I was having a hard time breathing with all the toxic fumes, after they left. The girls were so noisy when they came back, but even they weren't as loud as the obnoxious boys outside.
Sunday 1 August 2010
I got up, checked out, and headed to the bus. It was really raining by now. We made our way to Wanaka. This was a different driving experience. When I came down, the sky was clear and you could see everything. The way back to Christchurch, it was cloudy and misty. The cool difference is, you can see the glacial water better. The colour really shows up an amazing blue colour when it is cloudy.
Our bus was having problems, so the driver called in for another bus. We stopped in some remote area to wait for the bus. Then we had to transfer all the luggage from one bus to the other. When we got to Lake Tekapo, we had to transfer all the luggage again, because that bus had to go back to Queenstown. We had a really long delay, but we actually arrived in Christchurch only 10 minutes late. So not too bad.
I arrived and went to see Alison first. She was working, and gave me a hot chocolate. It was amazing. Then I went to Church (there was a night service). I came in as they were watching a video. It was a really small group, but I got to talk to a couple people afterwards. That was pretty cool. Then Anne, Alister, and I picked Alison up at work and went home. I really had a great time. I think I can do this again for my next trip!
I got up and got ready. I had a big breakfast and did last minute packing. Then we all went into town. Anne and Alister dropped us off, then Alison and I walked around till the bus arrived. I waited until everyone boarded, then I went on. It was a nice send off.
The day was beautiful. Clear, cloudless, sunny, amazing. We had a couple stops in the Canterbury Plains. The Southern Alpine was phenomenal. The snow was glistening. We had a 30 minute stop in Lake Tekapo. I was the first one off the bus. I started walking around the lake. It was absolutely beautiful. I walked fast, but enjoyed the sights thoroughly. I even saw the Church of the Good Shepherd. I met a girl as we waited for the bus driver switch. She was from Seattle. Anyway, we got on the bus and the bus driver mentioned a couple things along the way. He told us where Mt. Cook was from Lake Pukaki. Mount Cook is the biggest mountain in New Zealand. There are many tours that go there. The main tour that I was looking at involved seeing Mt. Cook, Lake Tekapo, Lake Pukaki, and the Church of the Good Shepherd. Basically everything I was seeing. I had planned to go on Sunday, but the forecast was not good. So I just saved myself a lot of money! The driver even stopped so we could get out and take pictures.
We arrived in Wanaka just after 5:00 pm. I saw some of my roommates as I checked in the hostel, but I hurried to get food out and ran out to see what I could see before it was too dark. I walked around the lake and found a walking track. I went a little ways, but it was getting really dark. I stopped and ate dinner, then headed back to the hostel. My roommates were playing games, but they were drinking alcohol with the game. For example, if someone rolls a 4, the person on the right has to drink steadily for 4 seconds...I just declined. For being in a room of 8 and having heavy drinkers (they hit the bar afterwards), they were quite considerate when they went to bed.
Saturday 31 July 2010
I got up a little after 8 and left. I wanted as much time as possible to go tramping. I first took a couple pictures of the mountains and lake. Lake Wanaka is really pretty. The clouds were looking a bit ominous. I stopped first at the i-site to pick up a map. Then I started to walk toward Puzzling World. I found the walking track Anne had mentioned. It was called Mt. Iron. I started up one side. Most people were going to the other side. I was glad, because I wanted to hear nature instead of people. There were some people behind me, but I let them pass. I felt like the track was vertical. My calves ached and my heart felt like it was going to pop out of my chest. I had to stop a couple times. The sights were absolutely brilliant. The only downside was that it was sprinkling a bit. When I got to the summit, I ate a snack and caught my breath before heading down. The way down was quite muddy and slippery. I was sliding every which way. So I had to go down slowly.
Then I went across the street to the Puzzling World (I actually had a good view of this place from the top of Mount Iron). It is a place that has a maze and weird stuff in it. I can't really describe anything, because it cost $12.50 to go in. I just peeked in a couple windows and walked around it.
Then I walked to the lake and went across one side all the way to waterfall creek. This was the end of the map, so it ended the walking track for me. It wasn't a waterfall at all, but an area of sand and water. It was pretty. Then I went along the water to the other side of the lake. This is what I started to do yesterday, but it got too dark. I went to Eely Point, Bremner Bay, and headed toward Beacon Point. I never got to a sign that said Beacon Point, but I think I was there, because I went to a place that looked like it was past Beacon Point on the map. I kept walking, but I had to turn around to catch the 5:00 bus to Queenstown. On my way back, I saw a pretty rainbow. The rain was pelting down at times, but there was nothing to do. The annoying thing was it was warm. I had to wear my jacket for the rain, but I was HOT!
I made it back to town and got the bus. My shoulders hurt from my back pack. Since I checked out, I had to take everything with me. I had been tramping all over the place, so everything in my body hurt, but I had a great time. I got into Queenstown at 6:30 and checked in. I looked around for a bit, but I was so tired, I just crashed. I was with several other girls. They took showers and had their pyjamas on. I thought they were going to bed, but they were actually getting ready to go clubbing. They used a ton of hairspray. I was having a hard time breathing with all the toxic fumes, after they left. The girls were so noisy when they came back, but even they weren't as loud as the obnoxious boys outside.
Sunday 1 August 2010
I got up, checked out, and headed to the bus. It was really raining by now. We made our way to Wanaka. This was a different driving experience. When I came down, the sky was clear and you could see everything. The way back to Christchurch, it was cloudy and misty. The cool difference is, you can see the glacial water better. The colour really shows up an amazing blue colour when it is cloudy.
Our bus was having problems, so the driver called in for another bus. We stopped in some remote area to wait for the bus. Then we had to transfer all the luggage from one bus to the other. When we got to Lake Tekapo, we had to transfer all the luggage again, because that bus had to go back to Queenstown. We had a really long delay, but we actually arrived in Christchurch only 10 minutes late. So not too bad.
I arrived and went to see Alison first. She was working, and gave me a hot chocolate. It was amazing. Then I went to Church (there was a night service). I came in as they were watching a video. It was a really small group, but I got to talk to a couple people afterwards. That was pretty cool. Then Anne, Alister, and I picked Alison up at work and went home. I really had a great time. I think I can do this again for my next trip!
Home for a While
Monday 19 July 2010
As soon as I stepped into work, I heard cheers and three people come up to me with open arms asking how my trip was. What a welcome back! A couple kids (particularly one) showed that they knew I was gone. One girl came through the door and just shouted excitedly "MANDY!" It really made me feel special and loved.
Tuesday 20 July 2010
Today, I have officially been in New Zealand for 1/2 year! I can't believe it! It's really strange to think about. So much has happened in these 6 months! I missed the 8:00 bus, so I was late to work, but not by a whole lot. I went to the STA office today to pick up my ticket to fly home. I went in, and they said I needed to have a passport sized photo of myself to validate the ticket. I was really upset. It is so stupid to have a passport sized photo of myself to validate the ticket. Now I have to get my picture taken and spend money so I can receive the ticket I already paid for! Then I met Alison. We were going to walk home, but it was raining. So we took the bus. This day did not turn out like I hoped.
Wednesday 21 July 2010
I received a package from a good friend, Jim. It was so sweet! He packed it with all kinds of goodies and strong umbrellas (which was really good as it has been raining quite a bit here). It was so exciting to get his parcel. THANKS JIM! Then I finished my taxes. It is actually quite frustrating. I have to do taxes in this country twice, because their pay period ends March 31. Since I worked in March, I have to pay for that year. Since I work after March, I have to pay for this year. Yuck!
Thursday, Friday 22, 23 July 2010
Today, I got an early text from the preschool director asking if I could work. Work was fine, but it was raining. It is always hard to deal with rainy days with all the children desperately needing to get out. I was also asked to work Friday. So four out of five days! Not bad!
Saturday 24 July 2010
Today was a more relaxed day. I was able to sleep in a bit. Alison and I discovered Anne and Alister's game storage. We played a game called 20 Questions. It was interesting. We weren't exactly sure how to play and there were no instructions. We made up part of it. Alison slaughtered me.
Sunday 25 July 2010
The service today was about community and trust with each other. It was really good. I find that it is really hard for me to readily trust people. Not that I don't trust people, but to share my innermost thoughts, struggles, desires...it is hard for me to share with people. Anyway, it spoke to me. It also made me think more about being involved. It is hard for me to just really become involved with this Church, as we will be leaving in a few months. It is hard to give more of myself to this Church and then leave. The problem is, the more I stay here, the more I want to be involved. It is kind of tricky.
Anyway, after Church, Alison and I went to the library to check out books for Australia. Now that the trip is getting closer, we really need to get down to business and start booking and really planning out what we need to do. We worked a bit on the trip, then we made banana bread and lemon squares. We wanted to contribute to baking for Anne and Alister. We know they love the lemon squares!
Monday, Tuesday 26, 27 July 2010
Work was fine, as usual. Two children had birthdays and it was my duty to make morning tea. For birthdays, children get to choose something they would like for morning tea. They chose donuts, so I tried to follow the recipe. The problem was, the preschool didn't have any labels on their teaspoons or tablespoons. The preschool director said to eyeball it. Well, it is not that easy for me. I am a terrible guesser when it comes to estimation. I tried, and they seemed okay, but I am not completely sure.
On my walk home, I heard my name and saw Alison get off the bus and walk the rest of the way home with me. That was quite nice. At dinner, two people from the Church came over. We had lamb. The lamb was actually from Alister's sister. They have lambs, so they slaughtered it and gave it to us. It was disturbing to realise.
After dinner, we all watched pictures from Anne and Alister's holiday part of the trip. It was nice to see all the other places they went. Before, we mainly saw the Bible Study part of the trip. Then we had an amazing dessert. Anne put Moro bars (which are like Mars bars) inside a flaky pastry thing and cooked it. We had whipped cream on top of it. Yum!
Wednesday 28 July 2010
Today was a busy day. I got up, did laundry, fixed lunch, and went into town. I went to the library and returned a book and then mailed my taxes. Then I went looking for a place to get my passport picture taken. It took a long time to find a place. It cost almost $20 and I only needed one photo, but they gave me eight. The man told me to stand in front of the wall with my head to the back of it. I did it and the man said to put my hair back. I pushed it back, but he wasn't satisfied with it. So I twisted my hair and put it back and smiled. He said, "This is a document picture, so don't smile." So I had a red nose from walking in the cold, frizzy hair on top from walking home to the city, plus my hair isn't seen that much. I have a mug shot photo. I look terrible. I just took it, went into STA and gave them a photo. I found out the photo was for a youth card. So unnecessary.
Thursday 29 July 2010
Today, Alison and I got up and worked on Australia. The cleaner came in and worked for a couple hours. We just looked up hostels for two places and had such a hard time deciding what to do! We booked the Sydney hostel, but that is about it. Well, tomorrow I will take my first trip alone. I am going to Wanaka and Queenstown. Let's see how I like it.
As soon as I stepped into work, I heard cheers and three people come up to me with open arms asking how my trip was. What a welcome back! A couple kids (particularly one) showed that they knew I was gone. One girl came through the door and just shouted excitedly "MANDY!" It really made me feel special and loved.
Tuesday 20 July 2010
Today, I have officially been in New Zealand for 1/2 year! I can't believe it! It's really strange to think about. So much has happened in these 6 months! I missed the 8:00 bus, so I was late to work, but not by a whole lot. I went to the STA office today to pick up my ticket to fly home. I went in, and they said I needed to have a passport sized photo of myself to validate the ticket. I was really upset. It is so stupid to have a passport sized photo of myself to validate the ticket. Now I have to get my picture taken and spend money so I can receive the ticket I already paid for! Then I met Alison. We were going to walk home, but it was raining. So we took the bus. This day did not turn out like I hoped.
Wednesday 21 July 2010
I received a package from a good friend, Jim. It was so sweet! He packed it with all kinds of goodies and strong umbrellas (which was really good as it has been raining quite a bit here). It was so exciting to get his parcel. THANKS JIM! Then I finished my taxes. It is actually quite frustrating. I have to do taxes in this country twice, because their pay period ends March 31. Since I worked in March, I have to pay for that year. Since I work after March, I have to pay for this year. Yuck!
Thursday, Friday 22, 23 July 2010
Today, I got an early text from the preschool director asking if I could work. Work was fine, but it was raining. It is always hard to deal with rainy days with all the children desperately needing to get out. I was also asked to work Friday. So four out of five days! Not bad!
Saturday 24 July 2010
Today was a more relaxed day. I was able to sleep in a bit. Alison and I discovered Anne and Alister's game storage. We played a game called 20 Questions. It was interesting. We weren't exactly sure how to play and there were no instructions. We made up part of it. Alison slaughtered me.
Sunday 25 July 2010
The service today was about community and trust with each other. It was really good. I find that it is really hard for me to readily trust people. Not that I don't trust people, but to share my innermost thoughts, struggles, desires...it is hard for me to share with people. Anyway, it spoke to me. It also made me think more about being involved. It is hard for me to just really become involved with this Church, as we will be leaving in a few months. It is hard to give more of myself to this Church and then leave. The problem is, the more I stay here, the more I want to be involved. It is kind of tricky.
Anyway, after Church, Alison and I went to the library to check out books for Australia. Now that the trip is getting closer, we really need to get down to business and start booking and really planning out what we need to do. We worked a bit on the trip, then we made banana bread and lemon squares. We wanted to contribute to baking for Anne and Alister. We know they love the lemon squares!
Monday, Tuesday 26, 27 July 2010
Work was fine, as usual. Two children had birthdays and it was my duty to make morning tea. For birthdays, children get to choose something they would like for morning tea. They chose donuts, so I tried to follow the recipe. The problem was, the preschool didn't have any labels on their teaspoons or tablespoons. The preschool director said to eyeball it. Well, it is not that easy for me. I am a terrible guesser when it comes to estimation. I tried, and they seemed okay, but I am not completely sure.
On my walk home, I heard my name and saw Alison get off the bus and walk the rest of the way home with me. That was quite nice. At dinner, two people from the Church came over. We had lamb. The lamb was actually from Alister's sister. They have lambs, so they slaughtered it and gave it to us. It was disturbing to realise.
After dinner, we all watched pictures from Anne and Alister's holiday part of the trip. It was nice to see all the other places they went. Before, we mainly saw the Bible Study part of the trip. Then we had an amazing dessert. Anne put Moro bars (which are like Mars bars) inside a flaky pastry thing and cooked it. We had whipped cream on top of it. Yum!
Wednesday 28 July 2010
Today was a busy day. I got up, did laundry, fixed lunch, and went into town. I went to the library and returned a book and then mailed my taxes. Then I went looking for a place to get my passport picture taken. It took a long time to find a place. It cost almost $20 and I only needed one photo, but they gave me eight. The man told me to stand in front of the wall with my head to the back of it. I did it and the man said to put my hair back. I pushed it back, but he wasn't satisfied with it. So I twisted my hair and put it back and smiled. He said, "This is a document picture, so don't smile." So I had a red nose from walking in the cold, frizzy hair on top from walking home to the city, plus my hair isn't seen that much. I have a mug shot photo. I look terrible. I just took it, went into STA and gave them a photo. I found out the photo was for a youth card. So unnecessary.
Thursday 29 July 2010
Today, Alison and I got up and worked on Australia. The cleaner came in and worked for a couple hours. We just looked up hostels for two places and had such a hard time deciding what to do! We booked the Sydney hostel, but that is about it. Well, tomorrow I will take my first trip alone. I am going to Wanaka and Queenstown. Let's see how I like it.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Saying Goodbye
Sunday 18 July 2010
My mom was able to pack everything in her suitcase. She really had to rearrange everything well, because...I was making her take a bag of mine back to the States. I took more than I needed, and I wanted to have a better trip back to the States than I had coming here. So I basically took the essentials for the rest of my trip and gave everything back. So my really obese bag was coming home with Mom. I was afraid of the weight, because Mom did have restrictions. So I brought my backpack and an empty bag to carry stuff back.
Anne and Alister dropped us all off at our favourite Cafe Metro. We stayed there and talked for a while. Ruth was back! I don't remember if I ever mentioned Ruth, but she is the most amazingly sweet lady. She was our main reason for coming to the Church for a while. She had been gone for 2 months and we missed her terribly. Mom got announced as a visitor and several people introduced themselves to her.
After Church, Mom and I walked around a ways and even had a quick look at The Gathering (a section with booths of things to sell).
Then Alister drove us to the airport. He got a trolley for us and we checked in. The bags were overweight, but they didn't charge us, so we got really lucky. I was so ecstatic. We asked when Mom would have to leave. We found out we could stay together until 3:00. So that is exactly what we did. We walked around the airport several times and talked. When 3:00 came around, it was hard to get motivated. We had several hugs until she absolutely had to go through the line and disappeared. It was hard seeing her leave. I went to catch a bus, and as we left the airport, I saw her plane.
I went to Alison's cafe. She saw me and gave me a hot chocolate. It was really good. Afterwards, I just went home and organised our room. It was quite messy after our major trips. Tomorrow, I start my first day back at work!
My mom was able to pack everything in her suitcase. She really had to rearrange everything well, because...I was making her take a bag of mine back to the States. I took more than I needed, and I wanted to have a better trip back to the States than I had coming here. So I basically took the essentials for the rest of my trip and gave everything back. So my really obese bag was coming home with Mom. I was afraid of the weight, because Mom did have restrictions. So I brought my backpack and an empty bag to carry stuff back.
Anne and Alister dropped us all off at our favourite Cafe Metro. We stayed there and talked for a while. Ruth was back! I don't remember if I ever mentioned Ruth, but she is the most amazingly sweet lady. She was our main reason for coming to the Church for a while. She had been gone for 2 months and we missed her terribly. Mom got announced as a visitor and several people introduced themselves to her.
After Church, Mom and I walked around a ways and even had a quick look at The Gathering (a section with booths of things to sell).
Then Alister drove us to the airport. He got a trolley for us and we checked in. The bags were overweight, but they didn't charge us, so we got really lucky. I was so ecstatic. We asked when Mom would have to leave. We found out we could stay together until 3:00. So that is exactly what we did. We walked around the airport several times and talked. When 3:00 came around, it was hard to get motivated. We had several hugs until she absolutely had to go through the line and disappeared. It was hard seeing her leave. I went to catch a bus, and as we left the airport, I saw her plane.
I went to Alison's cafe. She saw me and gave me a hot chocolate. It was really good. Afterwards, I just went home and organised our room. It was quite messy after our major trips. Tomorrow, I start my first day back at work!
Rain and Dinner
Saturday 17 July 2010
Happy Birthday Karsie! My neice is one year old today! Okay, so I know this is a bit confusing. First of all, it technically isn't your birthday since it is 17 July here and only 18 July where you are. The thing that makes it more confusing is that it is not July at all when I am writing this, but I am writing about the day that is on your birthday, so Happy Birthday nonetheless!
Mom and I got up planning on hiking up the peninsula to the seal sanctuary. It was raining quite hard, so that cancelled our trip. A girl from Holland was planning to do the same thing. So we stayed in the lounge and talked. She taught us a couple card games and talked about her travels (particularly India and Morocco).
After sitting a while, I had to move, so Mom and I braved the rain. We walked around town for a while. Then we went back to the hostel. Then we went to the bus to go back to Christchurch. We got back and my boss's husband picked us up to have dinner with their family. They are such a neat and fun family. Their two year old daughter was so excited to see me and kept coming up and jumping or hugging me. Their five and ten year old daughter had "surprises" for me and showed me these things they had. For dinner, we had lamb shanks. We at so much food, and they even had dessert. It was so good! We asked how they met, and they had such a cute story. It was so good spending time with them and having my mom meet people who I work with.
Then my boss's husband drove us home. Mom had major packing to do. She is leaving tomorrow. I just don't want to think about it right now!
Happy Birthday Karsie! My neice is one year old today! Okay, so I know this is a bit confusing. First of all, it technically isn't your birthday since it is 17 July here and only 18 July where you are. The thing that makes it more confusing is that it is not July at all when I am writing this, but I am writing about the day that is on your birthday, so Happy Birthday nonetheless!
Mom and I got up planning on hiking up the peninsula to the seal sanctuary. It was raining quite hard, so that cancelled our trip. A girl from Holland was planning to do the same thing. So we stayed in the lounge and talked. She taught us a couple card games and talked about her travels (particularly India and Morocco).
After sitting a while, I had to move, so Mom and I braved the rain. We walked around town for a while. Then we went back to the hostel. Then we went to the bus to go back to Christchurch. We got back and my boss's husband picked us up to have dinner with their family. They are such a neat and fun family. Their two year old daughter was so excited to see me and kept coming up and jumping or hugging me. Their five and ten year old daughter had "surprises" for me and showed me these things they had. For dinner, we had lamb shanks. We at so much food, and they even had dessert. It was so good! We asked how they met, and they had such a cute story. It was so good spending time with them and having my mom meet people who I work with.
Then my boss's husband drove us home. Mom had major packing to do. She is leaving tomorrow. I just don't want to think about it right now!
Pictures of Whales
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Sunday, August 15, 2010
Kaikoura and Whale Watching
Friday 16 July 2010
Well, yesterday was nice, but we had one last trip to make. We got on a bus and headed to Kaikoura. It wasn't a bad trip compared to our extremely long ones recently. We walked to our hostel when Mom realised she left her luggage on the bus. So we quickly went back to the bus and were able to retrieve it. Then we went to the hostel and had to ring the bell. The lady gave us our key and said we could have a free cup of soup from 2-5. So we started going up to our room and realised she gave us the wrong key. I found her and she had our key in her pocket. We went and got organised and left to walk to the whale watching place. Kaikoura is known for whale watching, particular for Sperm Whales.
We were super early when we got there, but we tried to check-in. The lady who was helping us said we really couldn't check in until 1:00. She said a name thinking it was us, but it wasn't. She couldn't find us and looked at my paper and said I reserved it for Saturday. She said it was an easy fix, so she was fixing the information. She was taking a long time and then she figured out what happened. I booked it for the right date, 16 July, but it was on the wrong day, Saturday. On a closer look, the lady realised the problem was, it was booked for Saturday 16 July 2011. Yeah, I was a year early. I don't know how I could have possibly done that, or why they would even have that as an option. Well, she was able to fix it so we could have the next tour.
Since we were still early, we walked along the beach. We were told the conditions may not be good and we may not see whales. I was a little nervous, but prayed a lot. There was a lot of rubbish along the rocky beach. It was quite appalling. We went into town and looked in some of the shops. Then we ate lunch and checked in. As we checked in, we found out that the tour before us saw a couple whales, and now it was nearly perfect conditions for the water.
We watched a film about ocean life. It was quite interesting (obviously, this is a major interest of mine), I was sad when they turned it off. We had a 15 minute coach ride and then got on the boat. We headed out to see. They made us sit down the whole time. It isn't until they stopped the boat that they finally allowed us to stand up and look around.
One time, they saw spray from a whale, but I missed it. We got to see some Albatross. Another time, we were told where a whale was. The people on the boat were actually able to put a microphone underwater to hear activity of the whales. They would then go in that direction to look for the whale(s). I got to see the flukes, but that was it. I have been to whale watching trips before. I got to see Grey Whales (which mostly you only get to see the spray). I have seen Humpback Whales (which are a lot more playful and I saw the entire body as they jump out of the water). Well, Sperm Whales are a little different. Mostly, whales are able to take a couple of breaths as they go up and down. Sperm Whales are the biggest and longest divers. They can dive for up to 60 minutes. So when they breathe, they literally stay above water for several minutes (for every minute they are up will allow them to be under water 6 minutes). So they stay afloat for a long time breathing. Once they are ready to dive, you see part of the back, and then the flukes. So, that is exactly what happened the next two times. We stayed up above, took pictures and watched the whale breathe. Then we see the flukes, take thousands of pictures and watch for another whale. It was so wonderful to watch this. I loved every moment of it.
We then headed back. This time, the ride was a bit different, because it was a longer and faster boat ride. I have never had a problem with sea sickness (thank goodness), but that was not a true story for many people. In fact, the guy next to Mom was breathing quite deeply into his bag. They actually had a lady going back and forth to collect bags of sick. I saw her collect around four bags (if not more). I could actually see the darkened bags, so I could see the volume of sick in the bags. Some were more full than I expected. I loved the boat ride, but I was glad to get away from the sick people.
We then headed back into town. We walked around a while and then headed to our hostel. Our room was absolutely freezing. We had a heater, and I thought I turned it on. No heat was coming out, so I flipped the switch and cold air started rushing out. It wasn't a heater at all! It was an air conditioner (we could have used this in Bulgaria, couldn't we Ann?). We realised the hallway was actually warmer than our room. We left the door open as long as we could to get a little warmer. We put as much stuff (clothes...anything) on our beds to warm us up even a little. It was a very cold evening!
Well, yesterday was nice, but we had one last trip to make. We got on a bus and headed to Kaikoura. It wasn't a bad trip compared to our extremely long ones recently. We walked to our hostel when Mom realised she left her luggage on the bus. So we quickly went back to the bus and were able to retrieve it. Then we went to the hostel and had to ring the bell. The lady gave us our key and said we could have a free cup of soup from 2-5. So we started going up to our room and realised she gave us the wrong key. I found her and she had our key in her pocket. We went and got organised and left to walk to the whale watching place. Kaikoura is known for whale watching, particular for Sperm Whales.
We were super early when we got there, but we tried to check-in. The lady who was helping us said we really couldn't check in until 1:00. She said a name thinking it was us, but it wasn't. She couldn't find us and looked at my paper and said I reserved it for Saturday. She said it was an easy fix, so she was fixing the information. She was taking a long time and then she figured out what happened. I booked it for the right date, 16 July, but it was on the wrong day, Saturday. On a closer look, the lady realised the problem was, it was booked for Saturday 16 July 2011. Yeah, I was a year early. I don't know how I could have possibly done that, or why they would even have that as an option. Well, she was able to fix it so we could have the next tour.
Since we were still early, we walked along the beach. We were told the conditions may not be good and we may not see whales. I was a little nervous, but prayed a lot. There was a lot of rubbish along the rocky beach. It was quite appalling. We went into town and looked in some of the shops. Then we ate lunch and checked in. As we checked in, we found out that the tour before us saw a couple whales, and now it was nearly perfect conditions for the water.
We watched a film about ocean life. It was quite interesting (obviously, this is a major interest of mine), I was sad when they turned it off. We had a 15 minute coach ride and then got on the boat. We headed out to see. They made us sit down the whole time. It isn't until they stopped the boat that they finally allowed us to stand up and look around.
One time, they saw spray from a whale, but I missed it. We got to see some Albatross. Another time, we were told where a whale was. The people on the boat were actually able to put a microphone underwater to hear activity of the whales. They would then go in that direction to look for the whale(s). I got to see the flukes, but that was it. I have been to whale watching trips before. I got to see Grey Whales (which mostly you only get to see the spray). I have seen Humpback Whales (which are a lot more playful and I saw the entire body as they jump out of the water). Well, Sperm Whales are a little different. Mostly, whales are able to take a couple of breaths as they go up and down. Sperm Whales are the biggest and longest divers. They can dive for up to 60 minutes. So when they breathe, they literally stay above water for several minutes (for every minute they are up will allow them to be under water 6 minutes). So they stay afloat for a long time breathing. Once they are ready to dive, you see part of the back, and then the flukes. So, that is exactly what happened the next two times. We stayed up above, took pictures and watched the whale breathe. Then we see the flukes, take thousands of pictures and watch for another whale. It was so wonderful to watch this. I loved every moment of it.
We then headed back. This time, the ride was a bit different, because it was a longer and faster boat ride. I have never had a problem with sea sickness (thank goodness), but that was not a true story for many people. In fact, the guy next to Mom was breathing quite deeply into his bag. They actually had a lady going back and forth to collect bags of sick. I saw her collect around four bags (if not more). I could actually see the darkened bags, so I could see the volume of sick in the bags. Some were more full than I expected. I loved the boat ride, but I was glad to get away from the sick people.
We then headed back into town. We walked around a while and then headed to our hostel. Our room was absolutely freezing. We had a heater, and I thought I turned it on. No heat was coming out, so I flipped the switch and cold air started rushing out. It wasn't a heater at all! It was an air conditioner (we could have used this in Bulgaria, couldn't we Ann?). We realised the hallway was actually warmer than our room. We left the door open as long as we could to get a little warmer. We put as much stuff (clothes...anything) on our beds to warm us up even a little. It was a very cold evening!
Christchurch Pictures (Pictures are Very Much Out of Order)
One of my favourite spots. I talk to my mom on the phone here at times.
These two pictures are what Alison and I call the sprinklers. The lights are hardly ever on, so when they are, I take lots of pictures.
Sunset in Christchurch...somewhere...
Mom enjoyed the bike in the Canterbury Museum.
Inside the Cathedral.
The souvlaki in the Greek restaurant.
See...we did get to see penguins and kiwi here!Finally in Christchurch
Thursday 15 July 2010
After all this time, Mom finally got time to spend in the city (in daylight) I live in, Christchurch. I took her to Cathedral Square and we walked to New Reagent Street, which is a cute touristy area where the building match each other on either side of the street. It was a shopping area, but most things were not open during this time.
We then went back to the Cathedral Square, and the Maori dancers were out, so she got to see the singers and dancers. She got to experience things that I experience everyday, being in Christchurch. We went to the Art Gallery, the Canterbury Museum, and of course the Gardens. We did not have a whole lot of time in the Gardens, but I got to show her most of the areas and all of my favourite areas. It was sad she didn't get to see the Gardens in the spring, so but it was pretty nonetheless. It was fun showing her things I love. Now she has a view of where I live and how I live.
We were able to do a little souvenir shopping. We ate ate Dimitris, the amazing Greek restaurant. She loved it, so she requested going back there. We went back home and had hokey pokey and mini pavs. It was an enjoyable day.
After all this time, Mom finally got time to spend in the city (in daylight) I live in, Christchurch. I took her to Cathedral Square and we walked to New Reagent Street, which is a cute touristy area where the building match each other on either side of the street. It was a shopping area, but most things were not open during this time.
We then went back to the Cathedral Square, and the Maori dancers were out, so she got to see the singers and dancers. She got to experience things that I experience everyday, being in Christchurch. We went to the Art Gallery, the Canterbury Museum, and of course the Gardens. We did not have a whole lot of time in the Gardens, but I got to show her most of the areas and all of my favourite areas. It was sad she didn't get to see the Gardens in the spring, so but it was pretty nonetheless. It was fun showing her things I love. Now she has a view of where I live and how I live.
We were able to do a little souvenir shopping. We ate ate Dimitris, the amazing Greek restaurant. She loved it, so she requested going back there. We went back home and had hokey pokey and mini pavs. It was an enjoyable day.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Pictures of TranzAlpine
This is the mean Kea bird.
Sights from the train.
We were on the observation car. It was windy and really cold.
This was on the trail in Greymouth. It got hot on the hike.
On the hike.
Greymouth sights from the hike.
Sights from the shuttle.
TranzAlpine Experience
Wednesday 14 July 2010
Alister drove the three of us to the city. Alison was taking the train over to Greymouth and Mom and I were taking the shuttle. This train is called the TranzAlpine Pass and is the prettiest train ride of the three we have taken. The first one was from Auckland to Wellington. The second was Picton to Christchurch. This one (which Mom and I took it on the way back) was from Greymouth to Christchurch.
Mom and I waited for the shuttle. It was late. We were standing in the cold. We were shivering. Finally, the ride came. We were the first people to get checked in, but he couldn't figure out my ticket. I did not get this ticket online, but through the i-site. He said he would have to do me last since he couldn't figure it out. It was annoying, but at least he figured it out and we were able to board. The views were so beautiful of the Southern Alps. We had 1/2 hour break in Arther's Pass after driving just 2 hours. Basically, it was a stop so he could smoke a pack of cigarettes. It was gross. There was snow everywhere, so we were freezing.
There were Kea birds outside who were knocking over peoples' drinks and even tried to fly away with a cell phone. They were quite mean.
When we got to Greymouth, we tried to go to King's Domain Walk. We had to go uphill all the way. There were four lookout points, but we only had time for two of them. We saw the lookout for Greymouth city centre, and the Greymouth city. We ate lunch and just enjoyed the sights. Mom found a stick and wrote "Karsie was here" on the bench. Then we walked down to the train station and found Alison.
We checked in and tried to get seats together. The lady said it wasn't possible, so we boarded the train. We were on two completely different sections of the train. We couldn't see each other at all, because there was a blockade that divided the train. The annoying thing was that there was an open pair of seats the whole time that were right next to us. Alison said the same thing on her side of the train. We were in the observation car most of the time anyway. It was so beautiful. The train announcer was cute and always gave little snippets of his life. He also announced when the best views were coming up.
We were ushered in the train car at one point, due to a 15 minute tunnel that would be horrible to experience. After the train ride, we went home and had a lovely dinner with Anne and Alister.
Alister drove the three of us to the city. Alison was taking the train over to Greymouth and Mom and I were taking the shuttle. This train is called the TranzAlpine Pass and is the prettiest train ride of the three we have taken. The first one was from Auckland to Wellington. The second was Picton to Christchurch. This one (which Mom and I took it on the way back) was from Greymouth to Christchurch.
Mom and I waited for the shuttle. It was late. We were standing in the cold. We were shivering. Finally, the ride came. We were the first people to get checked in, but he couldn't figure out my ticket. I did not get this ticket online, but through the i-site. He said he would have to do me last since he couldn't figure it out. It was annoying, but at least he figured it out and we were able to board. The views were so beautiful of the Southern Alps. We had 1/2 hour break in Arther's Pass after driving just 2 hours. Basically, it was a stop so he could smoke a pack of cigarettes. It was gross. There was snow everywhere, so we were freezing.
There were Kea birds outside who were knocking over peoples' drinks and even tried to fly away with a cell phone. They were quite mean.
When we got to Greymouth, we tried to go to King's Domain Walk. We had to go uphill all the way. There were four lookout points, but we only had time for two of them. We saw the lookout for Greymouth city centre, and the Greymouth city. We ate lunch and just enjoyed the sights. Mom found a stick and wrote "Karsie was here" on the bench. Then we walked down to the train station and found Alison.
We checked in and tried to get seats together. The lady said it wasn't possible, so we boarded the train. We were on two completely different sections of the train. We couldn't see each other at all, because there was a blockade that divided the train. The annoying thing was that there was an open pair of seats the whole time that were right next to us. Alison said the same thing on her side of the train. We were in the observation car most of the time anyway. It was so beautiful. The train announcer was cute and always gave little snippets of his life. He also announced when the best views were coming up.
We were ushered in the train car at one point, due to a 15 minute tunnel that would be horrible to experience. After the train ride, we went home and had a lovely dinner with Anne and Alister.
Back to Christchurch
Tuesday 13 July 2010
We got up and had the really good breakfast again. There were two other guests at this hostel, so there were seven people sharing one toilet. It was not pleasant, especially since Mom and I couldn't figure out the lock. You have to force it really hard. Well, Mom got a bit of a surprise after giving up on trying to figure out the lock...
Anyway, we had the hour boat ride to Bluff, 1/2 coach ride to Invercargill, then a 9 hour bus ride to Christchurch via Dunedin. It was quite a long day. We thought we would be going through the Catlins (the southeastern coast), but we didn't.
We got back to the Captain and his wife's house (which by now, I am going to use their real names as they have become family...Anne and Alister). So Mom got to meet them and found out how amazing these people really are.
We got up and had the really good breakfast again. There were two other guests at this hostel, so there were seven people sharing one toilet. It was not pleasant, especially since Mom and I couldn't figure out the lock. You have to force it really hard. Well, Mom got a bit of a surprise after giving up on trying to figure out the lock...
Anyway, we had the hour boat ride to Bluff, 1/2 coach ride to Invercargill, then a 9 hour bus ride to Christchurch via Dunedin. It was quite a long day. We thought we would be going through the Catlins (the southeastern coast), but we didn't.
We got back to the Captain and his wife's house (which by now, I am going to use their real names as they have become family...Anne and Alister). So Mom got to meet them and found out how amazing these people really are.
Pictures of Ulva and Stewart Island
Sunset in Stewart Island, Halfmoon Bay.
Getting toward nighttime.
The path was getting a bit muddy. I was in the lead and was trying to steady myself after a bit of a slip. Great picture of me, huh?
Rock formation in Halmoon Bay
Stone House in our walking track to the lighthouse in Acker's Point.
The lighthouse.
A trechourous staircase on Ulva Island.
This wee bird is a weka. This particular weka was following Alison around. When she walked, he followed. When she stopped, he stopped. She made a friend.
A water taxi going from Ulva Island.Stewart and Ulva Island
Monday 12 July 2010
We got breakfast which included homemade bread with jam and butter (which was so hard it was breaking the bread), warm oatmeal/granola/cream/blueberry mixture stuff, and sunny side up eggs over toast. It was quite tasty. He asked if we would like smoked salmon, which we all declined. I just like cooked fish.
After breakfast, we headed out to Golden Bay Wharf. It was on the opposite side of the peninsula. To get there we walked up a hiking trail called Fachsia Walk. It was quite a pretty walk. We walked to the wharf and saw a ferry to Ulva Island (which is a bird sanctuary). It was not the water taxi, so we had to wait a few minutes. He arrived and drove us to the island. It only took about 10 minutes.
When we got there, we walked along the beach and immediately saw a bird. Our first instinct was that it was a kiwi. Well, it wasn't. It was actually a weka. So that was a bit disappointing. Actually, we were on several beaches, and in each beach, we saw several wekas. We were able to go on all the walking tracks throughout the island. We stopped quite a bit and waited to see some birds. We were able to see many birds. It was kind of fun. We spent three hours on the island, and it was enough time to see the whole island.
When we got back to Stewart Island, we went tramping some more. We first went to a beach. Then we headed toward the lighthouse. Alison left to go back to the hostel, so Mom and I went all the way to the lighthouse. The lighthouse was really nothing exciting, but the area was a good place for penguins and other birds. Unfortunately for us, it was the wrong season. So there were no birds for us to see. We did get to see a stone house that Mom wanted to see.
After the lighthouse, we started walking up to Ringaringa Road and found a trail. It was quite muddy at times, and the sun was barely starting to set. We didn't want to go back that way. We got to a golf course and could only think to go through the course to get to a street. We went way way up the hill to the opposite side and realised there was a fence surrounding it. So we went to one end and were considering climbing over it, when we found an opening. Like usual, there were no signs, yet we somehow ended up where we were supposed to be according to the map.
When we got to the end, we saw a short walk to a street we needed to be on. So we took the trail. Since signs and directions are basically useless and misleading, we ended up taking the really long trail instead. It wouldn't have been a problem if the sun was still up. The sun was gone and the skies were rapidly darkening. If that wasn't enough, we had a trail of endless stairs that would go up and down without warning. If that wasn't enough, the steps were various sizes. Going up was treacherous, but going higher the trees thinned and it was a bit easier to see. Going down, you go under the canopy of leaves, and you can't see squat. Towards the end, Mom told me she literally could not see me or if there were any stairs. It was hard to judge where to put the feet since the steps change sizes without warning. So I would always tell her when they started or stopped. At the last set of stairs, she wasn't sure if she was finished and was taking really tiny steps and looked like she was walking on her own feet to keep from tumbling down these unpredictable steps. I kept trying to assure her that she was done, but she didn't realise I could see her. Amazingly, we came upon a road that led us right to the hostel.
We then found Alison and ate dinner. We attempted to go stargazing, but it was raining, so it would have been pointless. So we played phase 10 instead.
We got breakfast which included homemade bread with jam and butter (which was so hard it was breaking the bread), warm oatmeal/granola/cream/blueberry mixture stuff, and sunny side up eggs over toast. It was quite tasty. He asked if we would like smoked salmon, which we all declined. I just like cooked fish.
After breakfast, we headed out to Golden Bay Wharf. It was on the opposite side of the peninsula. To get there we walked up a hiking trail called Fachsia Walk. It was quite a pretty walk. We walked to the wharf and saw a ferry to Ulva Island (which is a bird sanctuary). It was not the water taxi, so we had to wait a few minutes. He arrived and drove us to the island. It only took about 10 minutes.
When we got there, we walked along the beach and immediately saw a bird. Our first instinct was that it was a kiwi. Well, it wasn't. It was actually a weka. So that was a bit disappointing. Actually, we were on several beaches, and in each beach, we saw several wekas. We were able to go on all the walking tracks throughout the island. We stopped quite a bit and waited to see some birds. We were able to see many birds. It was kind of fun. We spent three hours on the island, and it was enough time to see the whole island.
When we got back to Stewart Island, we went tramping some more. We first went to a beach. Then we headed toward the lighthouse. Alison left to go back to the hostel, so Mom and I went all the way to the lighthouse. The lighthouse was really nothing exciting, but the area was a good place for penguins and other birds. Unfortunately for us, it was the wrong season. So there were no birds for us to see. We did get to see a stone house that Mom wanted to see.
After the lighthouse, we started walking up to Ringaringa Road and found a trail. It was quite muddy at times, and the sun was barely starting to set. We didn't want to go back that way. We got to a golf course and could only think to go through the course to get to a street. We went way way up the hill to the opposite side and realised there was a fence surrounding it. So we went to one end and were considering climbing over it, when we found an opening. Like usual, there were no signs, yet we somehow ended up where we were supposed to be according to the map.
When we got to the end, we saw a short walk to a street we needed to be on. So we took the trail. Since signs and directions are basically useless and misleading, we ended up taking the really long trail instead. It wouldn't have been a problem if the sun was still up. The sun was gone and the skies were rapidly darkening. If that wasn't enough, we had a trail of endless stairs that would go up and down without warning. If that wasn't enough, the steps were various sizes. Going up was treacherous, but going higher the trees thinned and it was a bit easier to see. Going down, you go under the canopy of leaves, and you can't see squat. Towards the end, Mom told me she literally could not see me or if there were any stairs. It was hard to judge where to put the feet since the steps change sizes without warning. So I would always tell her when they started or stopped. At the last set of stairs, she wasn't sure if she was finished and was taking really tiny steps and looked like she was walking on her own feet to keep from tumbling down these unpredictable steps. I kept trying to assure her that she was done, but she didn't realise I could see her. Amazingly, we came upon a road that led us right to the hostel.
We then found Alison and ate dinner. We attempted to go stargazing, but it was raining, so it would have been pointless. So we played phase 10 instead.
Invercargill and Stewart Island Pictures
Icy Pass.
At the i-site with the taratura.
Somewhere in Invercargill. It was starting to get hot!
On our say to Stewart Island.
Jo and Andy's house.
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