Travels from New Zealand...

Dunedin, New Zealand



Sheep on the horizon


Tunnel Beach


Sandstone formations

A Jaccom in New Zealand

Moeraki Boulders

Alien eggs

Lindis Pass (Road Trip)

Travel buddies (the gals)

Travel buddies (the boys)

Abel Tasmen

Baby Seal

Love on the track

The survivors

Tasman Valley

Franz Joseph Glacier

Mount Cook (12,300 ft, highest Mountain in NZ)

Christchurch

Akaroa

Canterbury

Cape Reinga (Top of the North Island)

90 mile Beach (actually 55 miles)

Bay of Islands

Milford Sound

Milford Sound

Driving to Mount Cook

Camping at Lake Alexandra

Lake Tekapo

Lake Pukaki

Tasman Glacier

Lake Wanaka (My favorite place)

Sunset on Wanaka

Wellington (The capitol of NZ)

Lake Taupo (Turangi)

Zen in New Zealand

Cold as a witches tit.

It is so cold. Cold to the point that your body starts to hurt. Even my teeth are cold. I am bundled now in bed with turtle and tea, watching a documentary on Tom Petty. Oh I just love him so much.... "Oh, the days went slow, into the changing season Oh, out in the cold, for all the wrong reasons"

I headed to NYC today for an appointment with a kinesiologists (a movement doctor). He is a very fascinating man who picked and pulled my body for an hour. Overall I am open minded about it all and excited for my next appointment. Only downfall is how far it is. I have to say I have fallen out of love with NYC. I am just not a city girl, not that I ever was but I felt like it a bit in high school, maybe more Brooklyn. Everyone is moving so fast, I just want to stop them all and remind them to breathe.
But I was reminded about the perks of NYC, subway systems, hotdogs, the best pizza and grand central.

I will be headed to NYC again next week, maybe I will be a little bit warmer to it. Sorry New York City, I like your older brother upstate New York much more. It smells better.

I am heading to another city tomorrow, good old bean town. I am looking forward to seeing friends, eating twin donuts and dancing the night away. Not looking forward to red socks fans and again the cold.

Oh Spring and Summer, come back!

Just in time for the New Year

Six months flew by. New Zealand was everything I wanted and more. Dunedin will forever be one of my homes.

I arrived back into the states after many planes and small side meals. Felt good to drive up Narrows road and see the Christmas lights. I was welcomed home by Miss Barbara and two lovely cats. One fat and one skittish. Smokey RIP. Being home feels good. Clean house, good food and great company. I forgot how loud everyone was but I am slowly getting back into the swing of things. Having everyone over for Christmas was amazing. My family is full of different characters but when they all come together, it just works. Lots of pasta and meatballs and many cookies. I sat on the couch full as can be listening to stories. I learn my 85 year old grandma has a boyfriend, good for her. My Aunt got so stoned she rub and hug everyone’s faces. It really was a great day. Ended the night watching Sex and the City with my Dad and Ira (commentator one and two).

Woke up to whole wheat French toast. Now sitting with Babs as she does her morning stretches, it feels good to be back.

So excited for more visitors, going back to bean town and eating pizza.

Under Construction...

I have fallen into a bit of routine here. Monday night mediation, quiz night after and free pool at the baa (I am learning slowly). Tuesday’s movie night, Wednesday 3 dollar lunch, yoga and pint night at refuel. Thursday long school and usually dancing and the weekends are open for adventures.

This weekend we went to Lake Wanaka. It was beautiful. Eight of us jammed into our nelly mini van and drove off into the green. Watched the sun set and the stars come out. Eat lots of chips and ice cream along the way. Got there and found out I did not book the hostel properly, but it was a blessing in disguise because the eight of us cramped into a beautiful lodge room. All I have to say is that we all got very comfortable with one another. Went out dancing to the Mint Bar that night and came across some Americans turned kiwis, named Reek and Sock.

“Hi my name is Reek, like dank weed”

Got up early, had chocolate croissants and skied all day. It was amazing, we shredded up the mountain second nature style. Had cold showers and BBQ dinner, and then danced the night away.

Woke up early and kayaked for two hours in-between the rocks and islands. I felt so small surrounded by boulders and cliffs. Ate a kebab and packed our bags tight. Drove east back to Dunedin and stopped along the way to run in the green.

Life

Been having crazy weekend adventures. Went skiing in Queenstown and Wanaka. Bungee jumped (do not remember doing it, I think I must have blacked out), went to a winery and kayaking in around the rocks.

New Zealand really lives for its name, Adventure Capitol of the World.

I got a new manuel camera today from a lady off trade me (NZ version of eBay). A 35mm consina, came with a flash and sigma macro lenses.

Went around shooting all morning. I love taking pictures but it is so hard to capture what my eyes have been seeing for the past month.

I feel like I abandoned by blog, but it has been in my thoughts to update you for while

Life down here is just bliss. I have fallen in love with New Zealand. I have really been immersed in everything. New Zealand is a very new country but a head of everyone else with sustainable living. The kiwis are as sweet as ever and friendly too. They have the most amazing sayings:

heaps= lots of
crack up= funny
no worries= urwelcome
kia ora= hello
sweet as=thats cool
cheers=thank you
yup yup no=?

I just love it.

Kiwi Homes

I love walking around the city and just getting lost. I always seem to find my way back. I am surrounded by colorful homes, that always smell like christmas. Christmas in July. Winter hats and warm fires.

Earthquake...

So because of the Australian and Pacific tectonic plates, earthquakes occur pretty often down here. One happened the other night around 9:22pm. Only half the city felt the shake, it was at magnitude of 7.8 and the depth was 12 km (I learned all this in my geology class the next morning) Kind of crazy. Where was I? Dancing around my apartment.

Loving life.

I am starting to learn the lay of the land. Main streets such as Great King st, George st and Cumberland. I need to get my walking legs in shape, that’s all people do, walk, bike and hike. Today we got up early and went for a hike, it went from being sunny fall to snowy winter, in a matter of minutes. The hiking trails are a mix between the rainforest and the beach. I love how New Zealand has a mix of so many wonderful things in just one place.

Every Saturday by the train station there are farmers markets. The people of New Zealand are so friendly and want you to try and enjoy everything. I sampled it all. It is amazing how all the food is locally grown, not much is imported. The apples are delicious and the avocados are creamy.

Dunedin is a great town, surrounded by hills and the most amazing trees. I am really starting to love it here. The town is filled with hip bars and trendy shops, all in between the University, which has over 30, 000 students, oh man I am going to get so lost. I finally start my classes tomorrow. A little bit of music class, Maori studies and anthropology. Embracing my inner nerd.

Here is a mix of my week in pictures, enjoy!

Mi casa...


My bed...


The local dump, filled with treasures...


Beautiful...

Train ride...

Dunedin...

Hiking to the top...

Snow prints...

new zealand sandwich:

time is slow in new zealand

longest week of my life.

met everyone in my program at Auckland International Airport at 6am and the journey began. Took a four hour bus to Rotorua, a smelly but interesting town. It is filled with Maori culture and black birds with red beaks, that make sounds like a flute. Spent four busy days taking in everything. Went caving, became a Maori warrior, ran in the green and ate delicious food. It was incedible. We said our thank yous and good byes to the wonderful people at kiwi paka hostel and made our way to another airport, where two tiny planes waited for 20 disheveled American students, to take us to our final destination. Dunedin within the Otago Peninsula.

arrived in Dunedin, my new home for the next six months. I am living in a red flat house on great king st, with a kiwi, a new yorker, a german, a oregonian and a south carolinian. All wonderful people with great sense of humors. Lots of beers and laughs.

I am in the middle of New Zealands winter but it feels like spring to me.

Got lost in Auckland today. Auckland is a mix between San Francisco, Tokyo (never been but what I image it to be like) and an Arboretum, filled with the most beautiful trees. My favorite are the ones that look like spiders. I just want to climb trees and sit in the sun all day.

I ate lunch in a park and got attacked by birds, but had the an amazing sandwich, filled with avocados.

First Destination: Auckland