Beginning of Spring in Christchurch

After surgery

Thursday, Sept 23:  Cathy has appendicitis!! Wednesday night she had really bad abdominal so she was rushed to the hospital and had to have surgery that night!  Then she spent her 20th birthday on Thursday in the hospital.  Steph and I went to visit her with a piece of chocolate cake.  It was so much fun talking and going for a walk around the hospital.  We took awkward self-timer pictures in the middle of the hallway.  So great.  She returned home that night and the whole of IES came and surprised her at her house.  Our IES group is so awesome.

Saturday, Sept 25:  It was a beautiful sunny day today so Max, Steph, Tom, Steven, and I took a trip to the Christchurch Botanic Gardens.  All the spring flowers and cherry blossoms are in bloom.  Tons of people were out walking around and kayaking down the Avon River.  I absolutely love spring in Christchurch!

CHCH Botanic Gardens

Sunday, Sept 26:  Today actually got up to 70 degrees!  I played football and soccer outside with people all day.  Steph and I failed to do work in the sun.  Instead we just talked and got a dominoes pizza to eat in the grass.

Akaroa Harbour

Monday, Sept 27:  Monday afternoon Courtney, Courtney's older sister Kim (who is visiting), Steph, and I decided to drive up to Akaroa.  The Maori name Akaroa means "Long Harbour."  It is such a beautiful and cute town set on a sheltered harbour.  It is located on Banks Peninsula which was formed by the eruptions of two volcanoes.  We sauntered through the town and then sat down near the water at a cafe.  I had lemon ginger tea while we talked and took in the beauty around us.  It is amazing to me that here in NZ you do not have to go very far or make much of an effort to find incredible places.  Here we were on a Monday afternoon in the heart of an ancient volcano.  Life is good.

South Island Road Trip: The end

Monday, Sept 13:  Rest in peace Grandpa Fay and Cato.... Thinking of you and the Fay family.


It is exactly 2 months before I return to the States!  Today we drove 5 hours to Dunedin along the scenic route.  It is turning spring and I was mesmerized by all of the baby lambs and calves running around the hills.  They are so cute!  I want one!  We ate dinner at a nice spot along the Otago Peninsula and had fun chilling and talking all night.  It is so cool how we all have different pasts and have come to New Zealand for different reasons.  But now we are all experiencing New Zealand together.  We are all here for our own personal growth, but we are growing together.  I love these people.  I love NZ!

Tuesday, Sept 14:  I am exactly 20 and a half years old!  Again, time evades me.  What have I done with this past half a year?  More than I ever imagined I could.  I have realized that time will continue to run ahead no matter how hard I try to catch up with it.  So instead of worrying about it's passing, I'm excited to just roll with it.

Shells at Moeraki Boulders

Today we drove to Lake Tekapo.  Before we got there we stopped at the Moeraki Boulders.  I came here before with my family.  This time we spent ages picking up the prettiest shells i have ever seen!  They were everywhere!  We literally couldn't stop looking down and collecting them haha.

Ice Skating

Lake Tekapo lies in the center of the South Island.  This lake is a beautifully unique turquoise colour due to finely ground rock in the glacial waters.  We ended up spontaneously going ice skating at an outdoor rink that overlooked the lake and mountains.  We had the whole rink to ourselves for most of the time.  This was an awesome last night to be followed by a sketch ride in to the motor home as always.  Cathy and I hid beneath the pillows with our heads on each others shoulders, laughing uncontrollably.  I couldn't believe this was the last night of our epic campervan journey!  My life has changed so much after these four weeks of break.  I have seen and grown an insane amount.

Lake Tekapo

Wednesday, Sept 15:  We spent the day driving back home to Christchurch.  We drove through the city and saw so much of the earthquake destruction!!  They are doing a good job cleaning up but it's crazy seeing all of it first hand instead of just in the news.  We are so lucky it struck at a time when nobody was in these buildings.  I think that if it was two hours earlier or later more people would have gotten hurt.

Earthquake destruction

Anyways, we returned the campervan and I finally relaxed back at my flat.  I really appreciate space now!  My bed seems so huge and it's nice having a kitchen and table again.  Life is awesome :)

South Island Road Trip: Wwoofing

Saturday, Sept 11:  I can't believe it had been nine years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks.  Life is flying by!  Never did I believe I would be here nine years ago!

Bluff - Southern most town of NZ

It is so nice knowing we have a few extra days to take our time while we explore.  We spent the morning at the i-site reading brochures, writing in our journals, and charging our phones.  Our next stop was Bluff - the oldest European settled and southern most town in New Zealand.  My flatmate, Leah Russell is from here!

That night we were searching around for a place to stay and came across the Bluff Homestead.  We were confused at first because we were expecting a campervan park, but there was only a nice house at the end of the road!  It is a beautiful house built in 1973 and overlooks the Bluff Harbour and Southern Alps. We knocked on the door and Andrew answered.  He explained that people usually stay here to WWOOF - World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms.  Basically, travelers can receive free accommodations and meals in return for a variety of volunteer work.  I had heard of this and always wanted to try it, so we jumped on this amazing opportunity!!  We decided to do this instead of Stewart Island because we really need more time for that and it's super expensive to get there.  Wwoofing turned out to be an amazing, spontaneous alternative.  That night it was great to have a kitchen to cook in and a table to sit at.  We stayed up late talking, plugged in our campervan, and had a nice sleep in.

Digging potatoes

Sunday, Sept 12:  We got up pretty late today.  We were lounging in our van when we hear yelling outside so we stopped talking to listen.  There was some kind of dispute going on with Andrew and his neighbours about property, a fence, and trees.  It got very heated! and they started cursing at each other, it was so scary/awkward!  We hesitantly got out of the van to have our scrambled eggs and toast for brunch.  A little while later the police showed up at the door!  But they were super nice and were there to help settle the dispute.  Crazy stuff!!  Before Andrew tended to the cops, he showed us our first wwoofing jobs ever.  Steph and Courtney cleaned the house while Cathy and I worked in the garden digging up potatoes.  I haven't had to do much manual labour like this before.  It was a blast!  It was like a treasure hunt turning over the soil and finding all the potatoes.  My back definitely hurt by the end of the three hours.  Oh also, funny story, I had a cartoon moment when I stepped on the ho and it came up and smacked me in the head.  Hahaha.  But it was all worth it because the potatoes were a part of the amazing meal we had that night.  We had freshly caught elephant fish, tomatoes, and cabbage.  It was incredible.  Then us girls talked and bonded all night.  I love wwoofing, I would love to go on a long wwofing trip some time.  It would also be sweet to be a wwoof host so you could meet people from all over the world and get work done for you.  Andrew's wife is returning tomorrow to a nice house and plenty of fresh potatoes.  I am so proud of our work!  We stayed one more night and got up early to continue our travels.

Bluff Homestead kitchen

South Island Road Trip: Milford Sound to Invercargill

Friday, Sept 10:  Today we hopped on the Cruize Milford Sound tour.  We spent 30 breathtaking minutes sailing through the most famous visitor destination in New Zealand.  Although I've already cruised around here with my family, the spectacular sights of waterfalls cascading from sheer rock faces rising 1,200 metres or more from the sea, lush rain forests clinging precariously to the cliffs, and the seals, penguins and dolphins that play in the waters, will never cease to amaze me.

Milford Sound

Mirror Lakes

On the drive back, we stopped at the Mirror Lakes, Dunn Lake, and the Chasm.  So beautiful!!  Finally we made it back to Te Anau to get food, gas, and walk around.  I bought two used books I can't wait to read - Memoirs of a Geisha, and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.  Afterwards, I drove us all the way to Invercargill via the scenic route.  The sights were no less than amazing again and the sunset wsas the coolest deep pink I have ever seen.

We are so sketch haha.  When we arrived in Invercargill we parked at McDonalds and cooked dinner.  Cathy, Stephanie, and I had so much energy so we decided to explore the town.  Courtney was tired so she drove around trying to find a campsite, but the lady was really mean so she ended up at a nice beach to relax.  That night we decided to camp on the beach.  Luckily we got away with it!  Waking up on the beach was so nice.

South Island Road Trip: Queenstown to Milford Sound

Thursday, Sept 9:  You are never going to believe what I just did ... I got my nose pierced!!  What the heck?!  I don't do these things!  Two days ago Cathy said she wanted to get her nose pierced and I was like oh cool!  Then she said I should do it with her.  I just laughed and was like ha, no way would I ever get my nose pierced, I don't even have my ears pierced!  But then all the girls agreed I would look great with a nose piercing and so I actually began considering it.  In the space of five minutes my thought processes went like this...

• No freaken way
• Hmm maybe it would look good on me
• I can't believe I'm considering this
• Yes!  I am in Queenstown, NZ!  I just went bungy jumping!  I am going to pierce my nose!

So finally today came.  First of all, we parked in the parking lot outside the public library last night to camp.  We thought this was fine because there were no "no camping" signs.  But at 8:30 in the morning we wake up to someone pounding on our door.  It scared the crap out of us!  It was Dave from public security AH!  He told us it is illegal to camp in public parking areas, handed us a warning, and gave us five minutes to move.  I hate Dave!

Nose Piercings!!

Anyways, after that scare we ate breakfast at a pretty lookout and then went to the piercing place so Cathy and I could get our noses pierced together.  OMG first bungy jumping, next day piercing. Crazy!  So the best thing is our piercer is amazing!  Right away he could tell we were nervous but he was so confident.  He wrote a book about piercing and worked with doctors.  He talked so much about the science behind everything and I felt so good about it!  Cathy and I both chose the "petrol" studs - they glimmer different colours in the light.  Cathy went first but I couldn't watch.  Hers looks amazing!  Then it was my turn.  I asked the piercer his name and he said David.  That name is totally redeemed from this morning!  Steph held my hand and it happened all so fast.  I looked in the mirror and I love it!  It still looks foreign on my face though.  I named mine David and Cathy named hers Petrol.  We will forever be piercing buddys :)  love her!  Courtney also got her lip ring changed.  So many people I know are getting tattoos to commemorate their New Zealand experience which is great, but that's too permanent for me.  At least I can take this out if need be.  But for now it will be my semi-permanent momento of New Zealand and of this amazing life-changing time.  Life after bungy jumping is insane!!!

Homer TUnnel

We proceeded to explore the town a bit.  We checked our emails about school cancellations and extended our Jucy rental until Wednesday!  Then we ate a burger at the famous Ferg Burger.  So delicious!!!  Soon we left the adventure capital and drove toward Fiordland and Milford Sound.  Again it was such an epic drive.  I recognized the road but it was amazing all over again.  I love the Homer Tunnel on the Milford road.  There was no road access to Milford Sound until the 1.2-kilometre Homer Tunnel was built in 1954 through the mountains and under a bay that divided the sound from the Hollyford Valley.  It is the coolest and most rugged tunnel I've ever encountered.  That night we stayed at the Milford Lodge.

South Island Road Trip: Bungy Jumping

Wednesday, Sept 8 (the most epic day of my life):  I LOVE QUEENSTOWN!!  It is called the adventure capital of the world and I now know why!!  It is also the most beautiful town I have ever seen, nestled next to Lake Wakatipu and surrounded by the Remarkables mountain range.


So my next step in life - learning to fly.  Also known as BUNGY JUMPING!!!  Life somehow keeps getting better.  Here is the story... We were freaking out all day thinking of jumping.  After we paid, there was no backing out.  I have discovered that I am very internal when it comes to nerves.  The other girls were openly freaking out all day whereas I was mostly quiet and shaky.

Ready?

On our way to the platform scared out of our minds

A.J. Hackett is the Father of Bungy Jumping.  He launched his own company, AJ Hackett Bungy, and created a site on the Kawarau Bridge in 1988 to become the world's first commercial public bungy.  He later expanded his company by founding bungy sites all over NZ and the world.  We decided to experience A.J. Hackett's Nevis Bungy.  We had to catch a bus that drove us through private land to get to the amazingly beautiful canyon.  The platform lies on a cable 134 metres above the rugged Nevis River and is the third highest bungy jump in the world.  After we got our bungy gear on we watched some people jump before us.  From the lookout we were standing on we couldn't even see how far they fell.  We couldn't believe we were about to do something scarier than we could have ever imagined.  Then the pod came and shuttled us across the cable to the platform above the canyon.  That is when I started hysterical laughing.  Whenever I get punched in the face with pure emotion of any kind, all I can do is laugh.  It's so crazy!

First up!

I was called first to jump!  It all happened so fast.  The guys sat me down and put ankle straps and a weight on me.  Then they guided me out toward the tiny ledge and BAM!  Fear literally kicked me in the gut.  Nothing could have prepared me for this.  As I inched my way out, I began hyperventilating/ almost crying.  I have never been more afraid - I was about to jump off a ledge into nothing.  The guy kept urging me forward slowly.  Finally after seconds of freaking out and deep breathing, all went quiet.  I looked straight out to the mountains.  I heard a man's voice somewhere far away count 3...2...1...bungy...  Then I closed my eyes and SCREAMED!!  I free fell for 8.5 seconds.  For those seconds my mind went completely blank.  I think my brain shut down!  Then I opened my eyes at the bottom of my jump so close to the water!  After two springs I released my legs so I could sit up right.  When my brain started working again I looked all around me.  It was so quiet.  It was just me and the bungy in the middle of a canyon dangling above a river in New Zealand.  I fell in love with the moment.  But too soon I heard the music from above as they pulled me up.  I was shaking so hard from adrenaline and fear and awe and disbelief!  I am so incredibly excited I did that!  My life is changed forever!!  Now I am living life after bungy jumping.  So epic!!

The biggest jump of my life

Then I got to watch all my friends make this life transition one by one.  Courtney was next.  She was pretty composed throughout the whole ordeal.  Then Stephanie went which was hilarious!  It took so long to convince her to jump.  For a moment I thought she was either going to back out or throw up.  But eventually the guy counted down, her knees gave out, and she just fell off the ledge.  Then Cathy was up!  She was very scared and flailed the whole way down.

After bungy hug

This was such a bonding experience - seeing each other in the most intense emotional state ... fear.  And I love how each of us reacted so differently to the same level of utimate fear.  We all agreed I was "Most Bad Ass," Courtney was "Most Composed," Stephanie was "Biggest Freak Out," and Cathy had the "Best Exit."

That night our minds and bodies were completely exhausted.  I think I released enough adrenaline for half year!!  Then we heard exciting news - we have another week off classes!!  Now we have to figure out what more we can do with our lives.  Life after bungy is awesome!

South Island Road Trip: Part 1

WOWWWWW how do I even begin to describe the most epic trip of my life???  We'll start from the beginning...

Snuggle time

Monday, Sept 6:  Stephanie (Docta Peppers), Courtney (Snortney / C-Love), Cathy (Kitty Cat), and I (Shonaynay) hopped in our Jucy campervan.  We rented a 3 person van with only a double bed so it was very snug!!  Cathy, Courtney, and I lay straight while Stephanie squeezed in across the bed at our heads.  Thank goodness for her shortness!  But it had everything we needed, including a cute little kitchen area.  So on this fine day we drove through Arthur's Pass National Park.  It was absolutely beautiful!  We passed Smiley's and Castle Hill where we had our orientation trip way back in the day.  That night we stayed at a Top 10 campervan park - one that I have stayed in before with my family!  I am so happy to be with these girls.  We laughed so hard the first night.

Fox Glacier

Tuesday, Sept 7:  Today we planned on walking up to Fox Glacier, but the walkway was closed due to flooding.  We still got a very good view of the 13 km ice wonder from afar though.  Then we went on the most beautiful drive of our lives!!  Driving the west coast toward Wanaka just kept getting better.  We stopped at a bunch of lookouts and beaches.  Every sight I saw, I thought to myself, this is the greatest thing I've ever seen.  But every corner we turned proved me wrong!  It kept getting more and more beautiful.  My brain couldn't handle it - my eyes are too small for my mind!

Beach

Most beautiful lake

I got behind the wheel for the first time in New Zealand on the most beautiful part of the drive.  It was weird driving on the left side, but it is like Scotland so I got the hang of it pretty quickly.  However the indicator is on the right side of the wheel which still messes me up.  I drove around a huge lake.  The water was a bluish/teal - an amazing colour I have never seen water be before.  The mountains were so high!  I think we must have jumped inside a painting - this can't be real life.  All of our minds hurt and we were at a loss for words.  All we could talk about was how we could never describe this to anyone back home.  No one can ever know these feelings of utter beauty unless experienced first hand.  Even I don't fully comprehend what I am feeling and how I got here.  Life is beautiful.  I believe the purpose of my life is to find beauty.  This is it.

Driving

We got to Wanaka which is such an amazing and cute town.  We ate dinner by the lake and then walked around the town before heading to bed.

Sailing the Bay of Islands

Tuesday, August 31:  It's the last day of August and the second week of mid-semester break!!  Wow time is flying! Today I caught a flight to Auckland with Christine, Meghan, and Chris.  We met up with Collin and Kevin after we got there and checked into our hostel.  I loved the hostel:  City Groove Backpackers!  It was tucked away off the beaten track in the heart of the city and was very friendly and homely.

Wednesday, September 1:  This morning we went to an awesome place for breakfast called Strawberry Alarm Clock.  I had delicious eggs benedict with smoked salmon.  When we returned to the hostel, a girl traveling the world from England gave us free clothes she was trying to get rid of!  Then we all gathered at the Apex car rental, rented 2 cars, stocked up on food, and went to find our boat!

Our boat was awesome!!  It was called Largesse, but we didn't like that name so Captain Kevin renamed it Shenandoah.  It was pretty compact, but all we needed.  It was beautiful outside when we departed - warm and sunny.  The view of the Auckland skyline from the water was so pretty, especially in the sunset.  We sailed out around the islands and anchored in a nice quiet spot near the Kaikohe volcano.  For dinner we used the grill to make delicious burgers.  After dinner we hung out on the deck watching the stars.  They were incredibly bright and I saw so many shooting stars!!  One was so bright and big and red!  I could also see the milky way very clearly.  We jumped in the freezing cold water but it was worth it because as we swam around we could see the bio luminescent plankton sparking in the moving water - just like what I saw in Abel Tasman.  These plankton never cease to amaze me - they are one of the coolest things I have ever seen.

Auckland in the sunset

Preparing to jump in the freezing water!

Thursday, September 2:  We had the worst luck with weather today.  We sailed all day through a gale!!  It was very windy and rainy and cold and so incredibly rough and rocky.  I thought the boat was going to tip!  It was cool that we beat the speed record on the boat.  It was crazy and fun until I got very seasick... We anchored somewhere that was very rocky while we ate dinner but eventually the weather calmed down and the stars came out.  We had an amazing night hanging out on the deck and listening to Kevin play the guitar.  It was amazing laying in the sails - that is where I saw the most shooting stars.

Friday, September 3:  I started off the sunny morning jumping in the ocean!  It was freezing but refreshing.  Then we made a nice breakfast - although it is not the best idea to cook scrambled eggs on a moving boat!  The weather was off and on rain and we got sprayed a lot by the waves but it was way better than the day before.  We saw a few rainbows and admired the beautiful islands surrounding us.  After returning the boat, we drove three hours from Auckland to the Base hostel in the Bay of Islands.

Earthquake

Saturday, September 4:  We woke up this morning hearing a 7.1 earthquake struck Christchurch at 5 am!!!  Read this article, it explains everything: Christchurch Earthquake ...  It is one of the worst earthquakes New Zealand has ever had!  So we spent the day talking to people back in Christchurch and assuring friends ans family we are all ok.  We drove around the countryside trying to plan the rest of our trip because the university is shut down for a week.  I decided that I would return to Christchurch and go on a road trip to Queenstown.

Sunday, September 5:  HAPPY FATHER'S DAY, DAD!!! :) I love you!!   Father's Day always falls on the first Sunday in September in New Zealand.

This morning was incredibly stressful!  I almost missed my 8 am flight to Christchurch because we couldn't find the parking ticket to be paid, got lost in Auckland, ran out of gas, my phone died, and basically had the worst luck with every little thing.  But I made it on the plane just in time!  I enjoyed breathing on the plane but then I had a hard time returning to Ilam.  The city buses weren't running because of the earthquake so I caught a taxi.  Everyone is talking about the earthquake and I am still feeling the aftershocks!  Supposedly we are supposed to feel aftershocks up to magnitudes of 6 over the next week.  It's crazy!!  So now I am trying to relax and prepare for my trip to Queenstown starting tomorrow!