Where does the time go anyway? In just a few short days, I will be saying my goodbyes at Havelock North High School and heading to the South Island with Peter for two weeks of holiday (as well as meeting up with my mum**that's right- they say mum here**about halfway through those two weeks). After that, it's home for me. I can't believe how fast this has all gone. I also can't believe that I've kept up with this blog...I'm actually patting myself on the back as I'm typing this. I hope you have all enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed updating it! I'm sad to be leaving NZ, but am so excited to see all of your lovely faces again! For the complete history of my trip, you will be required to purchase one cup of coffee and sacrifice at least one hour of your day. :) Just kidding! But seriously, I will add more stories and pictures when I get home in the end of April so you don't have to buy me a cup of coffee if you don't want to...
Oh and by the way, I'm looking for summer work, so if any of you hear of something that's available, just let me know! I hope you have all had a wonderful winter!
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Rotorua...finally
When asked what I did in Rotorua, I cannot help but use the words of my darling friend Tyler: What didn’t I do in Rotorua? Here’s the thing about this place. It is a tourist trap! Every single thing is targeted to people with moolah to spend. So, two days and $200 later, I saw the museum, two parks with boiling mud, geysers and steaming lakes, a Kiwi, and I bathed I nmineral pools at the Polynesian Spa. It was loads of fun! I have put up four pictures- one is a lake called Devil’s Bath because of its bright green color (due to high levels of sulphur and minerals), one is the bluest lake I have ever seen, there is a photo of a steaming lake called Champagne Lake and one of boiling mud (although it just looks like a picture of steam).
So, here’s a bit of Maori legend for you…
Over 100 years ago, white people came to Rotorua as tourists. The Maori people quickly learned the value of the dollar and began tours, entrance fees, etc.
One day, while giving a canoe tour across the lake, a Maori woman was startled to see a war canoe pass by. Everyone in the touring canoe saw it but the Maori woman did not recognize any of the warriors. The woman screamed out, having seen one of the heads of the warriors turn into a snarling dog. Then, with no warning, the canoe slowly vanished into the fog.
Alarmed by what she saw, she went to the leader of her tribe and asked what the vision had meant. He informed her that he gods were displeased with the way the Maori’s were living and the amount of white people coming to Rotorua. He knew punishment was on the way.
A short time later, a loud rumble woke the entire town. Hot lava began to spew from the hilltops and in a matter of hours, over 100 people were dead and the town was destroyed.
It didn’t take long for the local Maori’s and investors to rebuild this volcanic town. But, even in modern times, tourists and locals alike are reminded of the unstable ground where they walk by the steaming lakes and hot pools scattered throughout the city.
There ya have it. Rotorua is a weird place! Beautiful, but slightly eerie.
So, here’s a bit of Maori legend for you…
Over 100 years ago, white people came to Rotorua as tourists. The Maori people quickly learned the value of the dollar and began tours, entrance fees, etc.
One day, while giving a canoe tour across the lake, a Maori woman was startled to see a war canoe pass by. Everyone in the touring canoe saw it but the Maori woman did not recognize any of the warriors. The woman screamed out, having seen one of the heads of the warriors turn into a snarling dog. Then, with no warning, the canoe slowly vanished into the fog.
Alarmed by what she saw, she went to the leader of her tribe and asked what the vision had meant. He informed her that he gods were displeased with the way the Maori’s were living and the amount of white people coming to Rotorua. He knew punishment was on the way.
A short time later, a loud rumble woke the entire town. Hot lava began to spew from the hilltops and in a matter of hours, over 100 people were dead and the town was destroyed.
It didn’t take long for the local Maori’s and investors to rebuild this volcanic town. But, even in modern times, tourists and locals alike are reminded of the unstable ground where they walk by the steaming lakes and hot pools scattered throughout the city.
There ya have it. Rotorua is a weird place! Beautiful, but slightly eerie.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Boiling Mud??
Hello everyone! I've just returned from a three-day weekend in Rotorua and it was fabulous! It is a volcanic area and is actually built in the crater of an active volcano! Crazy! It's a little unsettling to think about while there... I have many stories to tell, but no time to tell them, so here are some pictures for now! I hope all is well! (oh, and the picture of the mud puddle is actually the world's largest boiling mud puddle. cool, huh?)
Have a great day!!Wednesday, March 11, 2009
more of Wellington
The photo of the city is taken from the Botanic Gardens in Wellington. I took about a hundred pictures from there because it was so stunning! The other picture is in the Wildlife Sanctuary just outside of Wellington...there were a lot of trees and birds there...
Wellie!
These are photos from Wellington. The statues are right on the waterfront and the other photo is of Cook Strait from the backside of Te Papa...
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Woops
So for the last week or so, I've been thinking that I had already posted pictures from swimming sports and athletics day...turns out I didn't! My apologies- I will have pictures up tomorrow sometime.
I went to Wellington over the weekend and had a great time! I decided to take the cheap route and stayed in a shared room at a hostel in the center of town. I spent two nights sleeping in a room with five other girls, three of which were from Germany, one from Holland and one from Japan. It was really incredible to meet so many people, but sharing a room with them was a whole other story. Let's just say we had one girl who snored all night, one who stayed out all night, one who got up long before the sun both mornings, and one who had a nasty habit of turningn on the light when she came in after midnight. To say the least, sleep was not something I experienced in Wellington.
I did experience a whole bunch of other stuff though. I went to Te Papa, which is NZ's most famous museum, and saw the Monet exhibit, along with tons of exhibits on NZ culture. I went to a botanical garden, rode a cable car on a track that has been in use since 1900, visited a wildlife sanctuary (but since there is no native wildlife here other than birds, I pretty much just saw birds and trees), went to a jazz festival, and yes, I visited Starbucks. It was a wonderful weekend! I've been told Wellie (as the locals say) is the most beautiful city in the world, and I believe it! It's at the edge of a hill and right on the water, so it's very compact and accessible. The people are friendly and helpful and it seems that everywhere I went, I heard a different language being spoken. I'm quite disappointed that I won't get to spend more time in Wellie while I'm here because I feel like there was so much more to see! But, I saw the main things, had a great time, and came home with sore feet and completely sleep deprived- and not quite ready for a new week at school!
School has been going really well. I am now teaching four classes full time and am loving it. The students are great and the staff is more supportive than I ever could have hoped for. The work keeps me quite busy, so I find that I have very little time during the week for anything other than lesson planning. This is probably a good thing though, because most everything in Havelock closes around 5...
I hope everyone is doing well and dealing with all the snow! The weather here has made a turn and is getting rather chilly in the evenings. I would guess that it dropped to at least 60 degrees today! I have become so used to the heat that I had to put on long pant, socks and a sweater...
I went to Wellington over the weekend and had a great time! I decided to take the cheap route and stayed in a shared room at a hostel in the center of town. I spent two nights sleeping in a room with five other girls, three of which were from Germany, one from Holland and one from Japan. It was really incredible to meet so many people, but sharing a room with them was a whole other story. Let's just say we had one girl who snored all night, one who stayed out all night, one who got up long before the sun both mornings, and one who had a nasty habit of turningn on the light when she came in after midnight. To say the least, sleep was not something I experienced in Wellington.
I did experience a whole bunch of other stuff though. I went to Te Papa, which is NZ's most famous museum, and saw the Monet exhibit, along with tons of exhibits on NZ culture. I went to a botanical garden, rode a cable car on a track that has been in use since 1900, visited a wildlife sanctuary (but since there is no native wildlife here other than birds, I pretty much just saw birds and trees), went to a jazz festival, and yes, I visited Starbucks. It was a wonderful weekend! I've been told Wellie (as the locals say) is the most beautiful city in the world, and I believe it! It's at the edge of a hill and right on the water, so it's very compact and accessible. The people are friendly and helpful and it seems that everywhere I went, I heard a different language being spoken. I'm quite disappointed that I won't get to spend more time in Wellie while I'm here because I feel like there was so much more to see! But, I saw the main things, had a great time, and came home with sore feet and completely sleep deprived- and not quite ready for a new week at school!
School has been going really well. I am now teaching four classes full time and am loving it. The students are great and the staff is more supportive than I ever could have hoped for. The work keeps me quite busy, so I find that I have very little time during the week for anything other than lesson planning. This is probably a good thing though, because most everything in Havelock closes around 5...
I hope everyone is doing well and dealing with all the snow! The weather here has made a turn and is getting rather chilly in the evenings. I would guess that it dropped to at least 60 degrees today! I have become so used to the heat that I had to put on long pant, socks and a sweater...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
