Catlins! and da pig flu

The Catlins trip has been rescheduled for Saturday! Provided it isn't pouring. It has been shortened to 1 day due to papers, etc being due on Monday. Still, most people manage to get it done in one day. Can't wait!

And the swine flu is everywhere. Literally. It has gone from Mexico to Auckland, NZ in a few days. I've gotten four e-mails from Otago, W&M, and AustraLearn about it. Watch out, and stay healthy everyone!

an untimely delay

I've inadvertently chosen a most inconvenient time to get sick. We (meaning 4 people, including myself) were supposed to go to the Catlins, a gorgeous area of national park with beautiful waterfalls, and camping this weekend. One person had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts. Another due to papers. And now I, in the 11th hour, finally succumbed to a cold/cough/brewing sinus infection. Bag, tent, and sleeping bag packed and all. Over-dramatic language, I know. Point is: trip delayed until next weekend.

I tried to go to the pharmacy to get something to help me get better, but it is Anzac Day, so nothing is open. Ugh. Oh well, can't do much about that.

Happy Anzac Day, everyone! (for non-kiwis: Anzac Day: NZ :: Memorial Day: US)

Wow, I just typed out an analogy. My head truly must be infected. ;)

Nothing really newsworthy to report. Fall is setting in, and the leaves are falling. I'm working on a lab practical assignment about comparative mammal and bird anatomy and turning it into a little field guide for archaeology, and my cooking skills are improving.

fall break fun and Tour de Rings!

Fall (yes, fall) break is winding down, so it is time to post! I had an amazing time traveling around the South Island with my parents, and took hundreds of pictures. So here we go!

My 21st birthday morning, also Easter! Here I am with my parents leaving Lake Tekapo. The water really is that color.

Here I am at at the Hermitage Hotel in the Mt Cook National Park. Southern Alps, aka the Misty Mountains in The Lord of the Rings films in the background.

On the drive to Queenstown, we passed a little town called Twizel. Not much there, but it was the location of the Pelennor Fields in The Lord of the Rings!

Here is the road between Queenstown and Glenorchy, and then Paradise. It really does look like paradise.

I took a trail ride through some Lord of the Rings locations in Paradise Station. It was a bit drizzly, but gorgeous! This shot is of the mountains surrounding Isengard, and is also a location in the upcoming Wolverine film.

The mountains surrounding Isengard again...trying to hide behind some mist.

The woods of Paradise Station were used for both Lothlorien and Amon Hen in The Lord of the Rings as well as the forest in the beginning of Prince Caspian where he falls off his horse. This spot is where Boromir died in The Fellowship of the Ring.

And here are the edges of Fangorn Forest, where Treebeard comes out of the woods to see that the orcs have cut and burnt down part of it. Now it is just cows, no ents.

And last but not least, a shot from the long drive through the highlands of central Otago back to Dunedin. See the old mining shed?

Wow, this is a loooong post, mostly pictures. Back to classes on Monday!

21st birthday fun...

Hey everybody!

My 21st birthday on Easter was amazing. We spent it at the Mt Cook National Park. So gorgeous. I love the Southern Alps!!


Mom and Dad are visiting for my fall break, so we are road tripping around the South Island. I'll post more on that sometime this coming weekend. For now, here is a picture from the glacier boat ride we did on my birthday.


That big mountain in the background is Mt Cook, New Zealand's tallest mountain. This is the Tazman Glacier lake, with lots of huge icebergs floating around.

Moeraki Boulders and Lighthouse and break plans...

Last weekend's day getaway was to none other than Otago's famous Moeraki Boulders and lighthouse with Ashley, Krystle, and Shannon. What are these boulders, you ask? They are in fact nearly perfectly round boulders strewn across a random stretch of beach. And they are perfect for climbing on and photo ops, as you can see here:

The YMCA. It just had to be done. (left to right: Ashley, Shannon, Krystle, me)

These are just a few of the boulders. All different sizes, but all round! And in the distance, you can see the little point where the lighthouse sits.

And here's the lighthouse. Isn't it cute? It rests at 45 degrees south. The place also has a penguin hospital to rehabilitate injured penguins of all sorts, a bunch of wild rabbits, some chickens, and a trail down to a hut on top of the cliffs to observe the seals and penguins below. It was the wrong time of day for penguins, but it was seal nap time (all times are seal nap time).

Awww.

In other news: my semester break starts this Thursday! I'm picking up my parents at the Dunedin airport Thursday morning. I still can't believe they are coming for break. They will be here for my birthday, which is on Easter this year, as well. Turing the big 21! So that means double the yummy New Zealand wine and double the Cadbury Easter chocolate, right? Right. Our first thing after getting them settled in will be a tour of the Cadbury factory Thursday afternoon. Friday will be a tour of the local brewery, and then out to the peninsula to find some seals, penguins, and albatross. Over the next week, we will be visiting Lake Tekapo, Mt Cook Village, Queenstown, and Glenorchy. It is going to be an awesome break!

horses, penguins, and seals on the beach!

Wow, it has been busy! I've had 3 projects to turn in over the past week, but I'm still alive. On Monday, Krystle and I went riding horses on Aramoana Beach, about half an hour from Dunedin. It was so much fun! I rode a horse named Trolls (who is in fact nothing like a troll) and had an awesome time. The weather was beautiful and the beaches were incredible. There were shells everywhere, and not a piece of trash in sight! We only ever saw people when we were going from the road to the path to the beach, but other than that, it was just us and our guide, who was amazing.

I even got to gallop down the beach! There are Trolls and I winning a race against Cheryl, our guide, on Ginger, the horse Krystle rode. Trolls had more speed than I thought he would! He was so proud of himself.

On Tuesday, we had our OUSA hike. Because the weather was looking so iffy, we went to Aramoana beach! Haha. It was nice to be able to walk on the beach where I had just ridden the day before. And we saw a penguin and a sea lion, who totally stole the show. Here is the lone penguin, who was quite conent showing off for a dozen excited girls. He is a Yellow Eyed penguin. Guess why? Hehe.

And now get ready for a cute-overload. I give you...sleepy seal!


That has to be one of the cutest things ever. And just as proof that there really are albatross on the Otago Peninsula, here is a shot that I got of them from across the bay. They are those little white blurs that in real life have a wingspan of 10 feet.


One last thing. See these two Cadbury eggs? (there were four, but I ate two by the time I took this picture) They look like normal eggs, right? Wrong! They are real Cadbury eggs. Not the fake kind that they sell in America. They are just too tasty for words.