Kiwi-A-Go-Go-Fever

Since the last update, I have spent a great weekend in Taupo/Rotorua, done some real school work, celebrated a few birthdays, and completely fallen in love with the city of Auckland!

School has started to pick up a bit, although I still have very little work- I almost feel guilty when I talk to friends back at WM studying all the time. I had my first exam earlier today and an essay due the day I get back from break (4 April - 19 April, for those of you wondering- yes TWO WEEKS OFF!). I absolutely LOVE my Kapa Haka paper (here, they call classes papers and papers essays)- despite the fact that I am pretty terrible at the dancing. It still amazes me just how much my lecturers make references to the States, although sometimes it's pretty cool to see a map of the place I grew up but be talking about it from a completely different perspective. Six weeks have passed, I have the next two weeks off, then six more weeks of class before the month of finals- I can't believe how quickly the time is passing. I still don't know my finals schedule because they don't post it until after break, but I hope to do some traveling during finals month.

About our trip to Taupo: Alyssa, Erin, JoDee and I left on a Thursday night, right after I got out of class at 7, and did the three and a half hour drive down to our hostel on Lake Taupo. We tried to get to bed early since we were getting up at 5 to do our hike the next day, but we kind of failed at that and a mere 4 hours after we fell asleep our alarm clocks buzzed and we were up and at 'em. We drove around to the southern end of the lake, to Tongariro National Park, parked our car, and took a shuttle to the other end of the infamous Tongariro Crossing (a crossing is a one way hike, different from a loop hike). After hiring some fleecy pants to protect us from the wind (totally worth it!), we began our 19.3km journey up Mt. Nguaruhoe, aka Mt. Doom. The first few km were quite easy- flat and scenic, we forgot about the climb we had in front of us. Then we reached the Devil's Staircase, and our honeymoon was over. We were nearly blown off the side of the mountain by the strong winds, but through a lot of cursing, heavy breathing, and buckets of sweat, we made it to the top, where we were greeted by amazing views of the peak, the Emerald Lakes, multiple craters, and Lake Taupo. What a rewarding climb! We began the descent down, and transitioned from a barren volcanic landscape to grassland, and finally back down into a tropical forest. Exhausted, we headed back to the hostel, grabbed some food, and passed out.

Saturday, we woke up early, headed down to the lake, and took a scenic cruise to get out on the water and visit some Maori rock carvings on an outcrop at the far side of the lake. Afterwards, we soaked up a little sun on the beach, enjoyed the crystal clear water, and relaxed for the afternoon before we headed to Rotorua, an hour drive east of Taupo. Sunday, we explored New Zealand's most active geothermal area, including Pree's favorite, the Champagne Pool, before we made the trek back to Auckland.

Last weekend was Danni's birthday, so we celebrated in lavish style down at a harbour side restaurant at the Viaduct- something that was fun, but way too expensive to do again. So many people have birthdays while I am gone! I am sad that I am missing them- I guess birthday videos and tunes on the didgeridoo will need to take my place.

This past weekend, I did the 16km harbour to harbour hike across the peninsula on which Auckland was built. The hike traverses some of Auckland's most famous districts, countless city parks, and multiple volcanoes, including One Tree Hill (historical significance?) and Mt. Eden. After 16km of hiking Auckland, I was ready to chill, but Liam's band (the Nomadic Snails- check 'em out) had a show down on Queen Street, so I went with Erin to lend some support. Sunday I enjoyed more amazing Auckland weather and hit the beach with Danni and Alyssa at Mission Bay, a beach with easy access from the city center that I have come to visit often.

Wednesday I was out on the water again, for school this time- my restoration class to a field trip out to Tiritiri Matangi Island, one of the world's first and most successful ecological restoration projects. The waves were giant once we got out past the inner harbour, but by the afternoon the weather had cleared and we were able to enjoy trekking around the island and seeing many birds that were brought back from near extinction (including the takahe, of which there are only 200 worldwide, and was thought to be extinct for some time- on Tiritiri they will walk up to you and steal your lunch).

Hopefully the weather will stay gorgeous for the next two weeks (or preferably until I leave the country), as it is my mid-semester break, and I will be on holiday in the South Island on an epic road trip for 14 days. I will be mostly out of communication until the 19th of April, but I hope to talk to everyone soon! Btw- pictures have been updated on Picasa!