The ice bar in Auckland was really neat and I ended up catching a ride to the airport from Muffy (a girl from my floor) and her brother. My flight left at 2:45pm so of course I wasn't tired. I watched four movies and then I was tired but it was time for breakfast and the final flight time when people are active and lights come on. I had a bit of a layover in LA and then caught a little rest on the short flight. Connect in Denver and finally to Bismarck at 9pm. Total travel time was just over 24 hours. I'm glad to be back, though, and am starting softball tonight. I hope you all enjoyed reading about my journey.
Last night was my final night in Hamilton and I spent it at the All Blacks game. Since Argentina isn't as tough as England, most of the reserves were in and the Chiefs players got in the last ten minutes since it was their home field. It was a decent game and I hope my pictures turned out but they were all motion shots so maybe not. I missed Rokocoko's tri because I was excited and fumbling my camera. Final score NZ 41-AR 7. After that Freshy and I had coffee and then met Greg and Deirdre at the arcade for a few games. Today we head up to Auckland and are visiting the ice bar (Minus Five) where everything is made of ice or iced over. Tomorrow I hope to stop at a market before I have to head to the airport for my flight home. See you all State-side.
We just got back after a long day in town to find out the rugby on our field was the All Blacks! I threw my purse in my room and ran downstairs to go watch the end of the practice. Only when we got to the field did I realize my camera was in my purse:( Once Adrienne got there we took some with her camera, though. The better players were surrounded by fans and signing and posing with them. Adrienne got nervous but I took a picture of her and Freshy with Daniel Carter. It was so exciting! I'll get some action photos at the game on Saturday.
These are a couple of the photos from my skydive. There are no after pictures or close-up landing pictures because the photographer couldn't run from one landing to the other in the amount of time between the landings.
I sat my last exam on Saturday. Easy. Then I watched the All Blacks defeat England again. Sunday was the craft fair. It was different from home in that they held seminars on how to do certain things and also sold supplies. I did buy a few things that were neat, though. Yesterday, I took a bus to Taupo. The weather while I was on the bus was mostly sunny with scattered showers but I had heard it would have those showers all day. Not convenient since I went to skydive.
I pulled into town and got to the hostel and the lady said they hadn't jumped for the last four days and they justed picked up the jumpers, maybe I could get a later jump (sounded doubtful). I got one at three and was picked up in a limo. I got to watch a few landings including a missed catch by a rival company. That means that the jumpers (tandem) touched the ground but the wind caught the parachute before the people could get it and dragged the jumpers along the ground. It actually looked kind of fun. We decided to jump and I was the second jumper at 12,000 feet and the third guy was climbing to 15,000. The wind had come up so we couldn't do any spirals or tricks like the previous jumpers. The first guy missed the area of the drop zone he needed but we were right on target. No problem...for me. As we looked up, we saw the third jumper was not going to land anywhere near the drop zone and a couple people jumped in a van and drove to try and catch them. They landed in a field full of sheep.
Later at the pub, as I was leaving, I saw my jumpmaster and the pilot. We started talking and I asked if the wind came up as we were jumping or had started previously. They said we never should have jumped! My guy was very nervous and said he normally talks a lot, unless he's nervous...did he say much to me? Uh, no. Just terse words to remove my goggles and DON"T TOUCH ANY OF HIS HANDLES! I then related what had happened to Holly on her jump in April on the South Island (previously unmentioned so mom didn't freak out). Holly did her freefall and the chute opened. All of a sudden, they started falling again. Somehow the chute had collapsed! No problem, the guy pulled the second chute...nothing happened. He started swearing and yanking the cord repeatedly. Eventually it opened. Holly said she hadn't really realized the extent of the situation (pros, right?) but as soon as they landed, the jumpmaster just sat down on the ground in a daze. My pilot couldn't believe I would still jump after hearing that story. I did and everything went well for my jump despite all the screw-ups by everyone else.
Two of my classes are done now, one finished with an essay and another with a test. They're very serious about the exams here and people study for at least two weeks before hand. Personally, I didn't, but the test was super easy. I studied with a group of Kiwis for awhile and some of their techniques didn't seem very efficient. Oh well, to each his own. My final test is tomorrow at 2, on a Saturday! Talk about ruining a whole day. I had wanted to be in Auckland for the second test against England (rugby) but I have a test. At least I can watch it on tv and I'll be at the game next weekend. Mostly, all I've done this week is go to movies for entertainment. They were all enjoyable. We're going to the big craft show on Sunday and next week has a few plans developing.
The American girls on my floor, Deirdre's fiance, and I went out for a Thai dinner last night since it was the last time we would all be together. Adrienne had to go to Taranaki to meet some people today and Erin flies out tomorrow. She is the first one that I've spent much time with to leave. It's kind of sad but not too much yet since I still have some plans with the other girls. For instance, seeing Harry Potter. I actually tried yesterday with Freshy but I must have looked at the listing for one of the suburb's theatres by accident. There's also still Taupo and now we have plans for my last night as well. We'll all be in Auckland so we want to go to the ice bar. Finals have started and I have my last one on Saturday, which means seeing the craft fair on Sunday. There are a few other things in the works as well.
After a night in prison, we were given a tour of the joint. It was a real prison only ten years ago and had some nasty problems with gangs and security. It was built for the army and had several uses before becoming a prison. We saw numerous grave sites and graffiti of fromer inmates. After that, we went on a tour of a sheepskin factory. Next was the National Aquarium and a diver hand-feeding the fish and sharks. We also visited Opossum World and checked out the shops. We stayed at an Art Deco backpackers that was pretty nice. We got a free drink coupon and went down to the pub for the live music and our drinks. It started out fine but then some guys (roughly aged 40-50) decided to accompany with the singer. They got out a plastic bucket, a stool (he brought drumsticks) and spoons to play along. It was kind of funny but also kind of annoying as they overpowered the guy's guitar and it was harder to hear the lyrics. It was around this time that I realized the office hours sign at the hostel said 8:30am-8:30pm. It hadn't registered until then that we planned to leave at 8am. Oops. We were only a half hour late returning the car, though.
We hit the road right after lunch on Monday and spent some time at the Mount (Maunganui). The day was beautiful. That night we stayed in Whakatane at a decent hotel/backpacker. We go up at a decent time and headed to Gisborne. We spent the day looking around and stayed at a really chill surf lodge on the beach at Wainui. We woke up to be the first people in the world to see the sun this morning (closest to the date line) and then Adrienne went bodyboarding. Around 11:00 we headed out and drove to Napier with several scenic stops along the way. That's where we are now. Our accommodation is a former prison and guess what? our lights don't work! It's neat, though, and we'll take a tour tomorrow. We also ate at Mussel Boys and it was very good. We've been eating pretty decent on this trip with grocery meals supplemented by great restaurant meals. We'll stay in Napier again tomorrow at an Art Deco hostel and eat some food, the plan is sushi and Thai. Friday is a day of driving as we have to return to Hamilton by noon. It's been a very relaxing and fun trip (especially since the weather has been nice).
Tomorrow Adrienne, Freshy and I are renting a car and driving along the coast to Gisborne and Napier. None of us have been to these areas and since it is study week, why not? We don't really have anything planned once we get there but thought we should at least see the area. The only thing I know is that Napier was rebuilt in Art Deco style after the 1931 earthquake that destroyed the town. It should be fun, though. Not many people are around this week as many are traveling and some have even left for good. It's kind of funny how dramatically the atmosphere can change so quickly. Maybe I just haven't noticed it before because I've always been the one leaving.
Here are two more of mom's photos. The tree is the Party Tree from "Lord of the Rings." Doesn't it look fake? The other is a stream next to the road where we stopped for a little stretch.
This is a picture my mom took of me on the steps in front of Bag End. For those who aren't sure what that is, it is the home of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins in the "Lord of the Rings."
