Kiwi Dreams

This morning we woke up early (kind of) and drove to Raglan to comb the beach. We found some neat shells and then just after we decided to start back to the car, it started to downpour! We ended up soaked and changed clothes in the car before heading to Vinnie's for lunch. After that, it was time to head back to Hamilton and drop me off so my parents could drive to Auckland for their flight home. They had a great time. I talked to some of my friends here and I didn't miss much for the week. The noise ban starts tomorrow and lasts through the last week of classes, study week, and both weeks of finals. A total of four weeks! Personally, I think that's a little excessive since people can go to the library if the dorms happen to be too loud. Most people only have three things to do anyway. I guess most of them are first-years having finals for the first time but still, a whole month? I actually should start on some of my stuff but I only have to piece together a group project this week, write an essay for the 14th and then have two tests later that week. Nothing too difficult.

I forgot to mention that we went to Hobbiton (where the hobbit holes for the movie were) in Matamata and a Maori concert in Rotorua which was the same place I had gone during orientation with Australearn. In Wellington, we went to the Te Papa Museum and spent most of the day there. We drove up to Masterton that night and had some really good food and stayed in a very nice room. Today, we drove all the way back to Hamilton along a different route. It was very scenic and we stopped at a few scenic lookouts. Tomorrow we plan to go to Raglan beach for the morning and then my parents have to head back to Auckland for their flight home. Overall, their company has been fun but still seems a little like a whirlwind. I let mom take most of the pictures with their digital camera and I'll post a few when she emails them to me. I can't believe I only have four weeks left! There's still time for some rugby (All Blacks v Argentina in Hamilton) and some skydiving in Taupo. I have a few things to get done for class yet too.

It can basically be described so far as a misadventure. First, I spontaneaously decided to go to Auckland the day before and upon finally reaching the hostel (after a few minor mishaps), there were no vacancies. I then walked 3 miles to the airport at dusk along a major motorway. I wanted to watch rugby in a pub but I couldn't find one. The airport was playing the game but since NZ was losing to AU badly in the first 15 minutes, they shut it off. I spent the night there only to find out in the morning my parents had missed a connecting flight. My sister told me the wrong flight information for the new flight so I basically wasted a whole day there. Then I spent the night, again. We finally hooked up but the loss of a day forced us to skip the Bay of Islands and go to the Coromandel instead. It was pretty but the morning we were supposed to go on a boat tour, it started pouring as we got on the boat. Therefore it was canceled. We are currently in Wellington but, man, was it scary getting here! Mom freaked out as dad wandered over to the edge of the cliffs and neither have gotten used to the driving on the left yet. I sit behind dad with my sightline blocked. Call it a sanity saver. We are trying to work out seeing some whales but that is pretty iffy right now. Our alternative is a balloon ride in the region. Maybe we'd luck out with that and see a whale off in the distance. Mom thinks I should mention the fact that I'm skipping school this week to travel with them. I did go to my presentation, though. Back to the travel agent's life.

Well, just as I was going to leave, the scanner opened up. The first picture I'm posting is of a dusky dolphin that I took from the boat after I swam with them in Kaikoura. The picture of the monkeys is just so cute with that little baby! They were at the Hamilton Zoo and entertained us for quite a while!

I've been trying to post some pictures for you all for three days now. Unfortunately, there are only two computers with scanners in the library and those two also happen to be the only computers with zip drives (they use memory cards or H drives here). As the semester is nearing its end, people are always on them! This week has been somewhat eventful with helping plan my parents trip, getting school work done and having to change my summer plans. I've decided to meet my parents in Auckland and travel with them so next week will be very busy as well. We'll be seeing some places I haven't been and revisiting others. I'll keep trying to get on the scanner so eventually the pictures will get posted.

I recently received the exciting news that I'll be having visitors next week! My parents will be coming to New Zealand! I was so excited that I stayed up until 3am on Saturday night just to phone them! (Actually, I was still up from a exciting game of hide and seek in a darkened dorm.) It was a night filled of movies, games and pizza while many dormies were at either the Hall Ball (a formal) or the Home Ball (eighties theme). Both had some expensive tickets so we decided to have our own party. I heard the Hall Ball was only ok and the Home Bar was fun but ended a little early with a fire alarm. I think I had more fun. I also saw Troy on Friday and then went to the Frankton markets again and the zoo on Saturday. I finished off some film and should get it developed sometime this week.

This was the first entire weekend that I've spent in Hamilton. Seems hard to believe considering how long I've been here. Not that I didn't keep myself occupied with the rugby match and the food festival. First, the game. The #3 Chiefs played the #1 Brumbies (Australian) and the game would determine whether the Chiefs made the semi-finals. We lost the game by 3 (after a missed penalty kick worth 3 points) but since we were within 7, we got a bonus point and then had enough points to guarantee a playoff spot. The game was intense with even a fight and five yellow cards given out (only 2 from the fight). I hope one of the semi games are in Hamilton!

The food festival was very different from the one in Auckland. Auckland had cheeses, and meats with a focus on wine whereas Hamilton had a variety of foods from toffee apples and chocolate to meats, soups and portabella mushrooms (and of course wine). They also had a range of Asian foods available and a Mother's Day dining area. Another difference was the guy who sculpted sea horses out of margarine. They were really neat but I don't know about keeping them around for art without a good sealant! Over the weekend I also went to town with some new friends and had lots of fun. We did face a little situation at the end of the night but everything worked out in the end.

Today was No Diet Day and I headed down to the banks (on campus) to see the festivities. The Nexus crew was on New Zealand time so things didn't get started until almost two (when I had a test). They decided to start the first keg and then get the bbq on the way. I had a drink and then headed off to my test. After the test was over I headed back to the banks for some food and another drink. I think it helped my aim because I pitched a barbie into the farthest bucket (on the first try) and won a package of numerous hair products from the campus salon. So far, I only have loose plans for the weekend but I am definately going to the rugby match and have plans to hit up the food festival on Sunday.

It's been an interesting weekend. Friday we saw "Big Fish" and then went to the Home Bar for a while. Saturday was an awful field trip where it rained all day as we were supposed to be looking out the window at things the tutors pointed out. Then, in the downpours, we had to get off the bus and do sketch maps of what we could see. This lasted seven hours! That night we again went to the Home Bar for some entertainment (advertised as an Idol take-off with prizes but actually karaoke and a drawing). Most people sang slow songs and only a few were any good. That gave Stephanie and myself the idea to liven things up and sing. We did ok. We sang New Kids On the Block's The Right Stuff to be funny. There was one quiet section where Stephanie refused to sing and I didn't remember the tune which caused Nick to start heckling us. We had fun doing it, though, and as the rest of the bar drank, the songs got worse and the end of the night was literally torture! Today was the craft fair at the Hamilton Gardens. They had some neat stuff with good prices so of course I bought a few things. After the fair, we walked around the gardens and had a nice afternoon. We took the sceninc route back and for the last few blocks got rained on. It started with just a light mist but by the time we got back, we were very wet! Definately fun!