Bridge Swinging Video

Hey, Guess what, I finally figured out how to downsize my video! Here's my "big jump"

sorry bout the camera shake- home video- no tripod

I made sure the camera man is ready with a big thumbs up... the view of the sky is Ryan giving me a thumbs up back.

I only wish I would have done flips, I chickened out. Next time! Apparently the record number of flips is over thirty for this jump. I'd love to see that.

You know you really can't see how high that bridge is! It's around 60 feet up. I love how I am ready to jump and grab on last minute... HAHAHA...

Double 21st Birthday Extravaganza!

Look Mommy I did it all by myself!! Yay! Actually I really am proud of the invitation I made. Now that I officially have a place to have the party, they are going to the printers today! I am SOOO excited! Well I'd tell you all about my plans, but I might incriminate myself. : )

Its going to be SO MUCH FUN!! Yeah! We've got a DJ, and maybe even a live band. You know what I love about NZ? It is standard for everyone to BYO (bring your own). So I'm throwing a party, and everyone is bringing food and drinks them!! Yes!! Score!! I guess that means I better put on one heck of a party!

Feijowa Nut! (Actually they don't have nuts, but tasty seeds)

Atawhai Villagers

Not everyone showed up for the village photo, actually I think around 75 people live here! Regardless- group photo! This is my international family, coming from: Pakistan, Germany, Canada, USA, Brazil and New Zealand. (If you didn't catch on- this is the little community I live with).

Did I mention we like to Party? Julia (the girl one in from the left) and I are going to have a HUGE birthday party May 9th. We've hired a DJ, and might even have a live band! Some of the German girls are making homemade cakes! YAY!!

This last weekend I went on the Tongariro Crossing, it is a beautiful hike, one of the best in New Zealand, that goes up and between volcanos, passes by Emerald Lakes, and offers the chance to climb to the top of "Mount Doom" (Lord of the Rings). We actaually did climb to the rim of the volcano, where we had a great picnic of power bars, sandwiches, and a special New Zealand fruit, Feijowas! 

I absolutely love this fruit! You can never have just one. The Feijowa season is just ending now, they growing like crazy for two weeks. Though they were very expensive in the stores (about $8 per pound) both my flatmate and a friend in town have trees and a seamlessly unlimited supply. Over the last week we've been consuming a garbage bag full, and I'm sad that they are almost gone. This fruit you can' t compare to any other, Rheyda says they are similar to a guava, but you eat it like a kiwi. They are unique and unlike anything I've ever had! Love EM!!!

The hike was stunning. We left Palmerston North at 3:50 AM SHARP (GERMANS are on time- and if you aren't they'll leave!!). When we arrived at the Taupo area, the sunrise lit up the sky in a rainbow of color, highlighting the peaks we were about to climb. It was exciting to see frost, it was O Degrees Celcius when we started, a perfect starting temperature for our long hike! 

A New Zealand Traffic Jam. Though you'd never see much of a Traffic Jam on the Roads here, the trailways can be packed on a holiday. There were likely over two hundred people who did the crossing. Did I mention the Weather was Perfect! Often the area gets so cloudy you can't see 5ft in front of you. It was so clear Friday that you could actually see Mt. Ruapehu which is over 150K away. It was incredible!

As all you outdoor pros know, you gotta wear good shoes for a 10 hour hike. Oops. I forgot mine in Montana... No need to show a pic of my feet, but I'll just say that I found it hard to walk straight/normal for about two days. Totally worth it though (the crossing, not the shoe mistake)!

The Lady and the Cigarette Butts

Hey everyone, just wanted to type a quick message and say All is Well! I've been extraordinarily busy with assignments lately, so I've tried to not have too much fun. It's been difficult. A little bit of dancing and playing pool this last Saturday, and I'm not sure if I mentioned the old army bunker I got to explore. Pretty sweet! Also I got a "NEW2ME" Bike. It's this great rusty old pink thing that belongs to the 60's. I'll have to post a photo! With the opportunities I now have because of this bike, I couldn't help but bond to it!

I Really Need your help. You probably already know this about me, but I can be a space case, and have a tendency to loose or forget things. With that said, since I have been in New Zealand, I have lost everything of value by now. Luckily most things have returned, but on the other hand, I am apparently beginning round #2. So far so good, I just need to find my house key. Please if you have any ideas on how to fix this I would REALLY APPRECIATE IT!

Well I keep it short and sweet- Midterms. Here is a story I wanted to share with you:

________________________________

The Lady and The Cigarette Butts

I was at the bus stop today and I watched a woman as she dawdled around picking up smoshed cigarettes off the ground. I was really curious, and thinking she might have been cleaning them up. Nonchalantly, she filled her pockets, and sat down on bench beside me. She pulled out a small piece of paper, and one by one carefully poured their contents onto this paper. After about six, she licked the end, rolled it up, and stuck it in her mouth.

Take it for what it's worth. She was not poorly dressed, did not look unusual in any way, just an average woman addicted to nicotine. I suppose that I just wanted to show you someone else's perspective.

___________________________________________


Ps. I'm starting to get a little homesick.

Gettin in the Groove

Hello Everyone! 

Sorry about the delay in blogs. Been keeping busy with school lately and dealing with the credit card issues, but that should all be over soon. 

I've been catching up with a few people personally, so for ease I stole some of this from those e-mails... Sorry for the repeats Trev!

I spent the last two days out playing in the ocean- I'm starting to get the hang of surfing, I can just barely stand up, and can certainly ride a wave in kneeling- so I am really excited about that!

    Oh man I love to surf. I'm definitely learning, but I've had to start with a short board rather than a long board (which is much easier). By the time I finally take a break after catching waves for 4 hours, I walk on the shore panting out of breath, and drop like I'm dead. All I can think about though is catching another wave. And let me tell you, I sure got my share of salt the past couple of days, I can still taste it!  I probably won't have many pictures to share since a beach has death writtin all over it for my camera.

So I've borrowed some images from google... so you could have a look.

The town that slightly shows to the right is Castle Point, the the further of the two bays you see in the back ground is where I go surfing- it all sand and is perfect for anyone from beginners to semi-experts. 

Here is the cove from the ridge that leads to castle rock. You can see a good sized wave in this photo, but they can actually break around 35 ft high between the two furthest rocks. A little much for my level of expertice, but closer to the left I can catch waves closer to 4ft.

Did I mention the fish they catch there are GIGANTIC! There are charter boats that come and go all day long, and they are consistently catching some monsters.

Hehe, oh and actaually while I was surfing I somehow managed to step on one. It Freaked me out!

I've been playing cards a lot lately- Tons of rummy, some Texas Hold-em, Hearts, etc. I've also taught a lot of card games too including Egyptian Rat Screw, and spoons. You wouldn't believe how much these guys ABSOLUTELY LOVE TO PLAY SPOONS! Wow! And surprisingly no one else had ever played?

    I've also been learning to play cricket with the Pakistanis. It's a lot like baseball, but so far I couldn't really tell you the differences because everything is spoken in another language. It's very possible that they are just making it all up...

I love how easy it is to meet people from all over the world- Zambia, Pakistan, Canada, Philippines, Germany, Malasia, Figi, Jamaca, I could go on for awhile!  I can't believe how much I am learning about the world! Speaking of which have you ever heard of a movie called Zeitgeist? Though it talks a lot about the philosophy behind religion and control in part one, it has so much to do with the power and influence of the American people. It's really an eye-opener! The one I watched was german made, but was spoken in english. It's probably only available online.

     I am in absolute heaven here! And you know the area I live is a whole community of international travelers, most of which will be going in June when new students will come move in. It's overwhelming, and Exciting! I really hope I can stay and finish school here, it's a much better learning enviornment : ) ... and the classes are alright too.

     I can't wait to go to the SOUTH ISLAND! I plan on going in Nov. When school is out. Otherwise I might not come back and finish. I've had to add some great toys to my camping collection including a sweet stove I got on sale that folds up to the size of a pocket knife! I'd really like to get my hands on a traveling hammock.

    You know there are three things that I REALLY MISS! My tripod, the grocery stores back home, and MY CAR! I'm buying a new tripod online, and coping with groceries, but this car thing I have to figure out. I might buy one with a friend who'll be staying longer than me. We will see.

 My next mission is puttin' on a party. I once thought I might be alone for my 21st, so instead I'm decided to have an enormous party! Actually it's a double birthday, and we've already got a DJ lined up! I'm just settling the details about where we are going to have it, and getting ready to print out flyers! Wish me Luck!

Cheers

LESSONS ABOUT LOOSING CREDIT CARDS

Layin' low is a good way to go.

 So I vaguely mentioned that I lost my purse, I didn't say that I spent four days turning up all my furniture (and the neighbors) looking for the stupid thing. I pouted, threw a fit, and finally gave in to cancel the credit cards and renew everything... 

Well after much of it is said and done, my purse has finally turned up! It was left at a friends (who swears it wasn't there...). Well I don't have to go through the hassle of getting my driver's license again, but the reason I post this is that I want you to all know how important it is to have all your credit card numbers and the phones #'s to call (to cancel them) written down. I know the internet is a great resource, but when it comes down to it, Have them written and somewhere safe! Its worth it! It may save you 7 hours of overseas phone calls! Oh and some of the companies DO have international lines that you can call free- if you know how to correctly dial them- so have those numbers at hand.

I also you to know that many local banks and credit card companies cannot ship the cards overseas. So also keep a separate card for emergency since it may be awhile before you can replace a lost one. 

 I thought I mind as well share my lesson. I really hope this doesn't happen to any of you! 

Taking it Easy...

Nothing too interesting going on lately. Been busy working on assignments and hassling with a lost purse. I want to recommend to you all, keep a copy of your credit card numbers and the overseas contacts to cancel and renew them. If you don't it will be a much bigger hassle! Other than that I am settling in well, finally getting into a routine. 

I Really Miss the grocery stores back home! It's hard to say exactly what the differences are, the food is much better here, but they really lack in variety. Ben and Jerry's just cant be matched by the favorite vanilla with sugar clumps here. I don't understand it. Oh and Ketchup! Man, I was never had ketchup often back home, but they eat "tomato sause" with everything! EWW it's really sugary! But I did happen to find Heinz, and life has been good ever since! Weather is beautiful and the Sun is shining! Just takin' it easy!

Greetings from Napier and a New Zealand Outhouse!

So, I went on yet another road trip to Napier. Ten Pakistani guys (1 girl), 1 German, and Myself all loaded into a 12 passenger van at 6:30 in the morning. 

Boy do the pakistanis come prepared! They had made up unique sandwiches for the trip which looked like a potato cake and later on we had one of their chicken curry dishes. Their food was so hot my face looked like a tomato and tears stream down my face as I ate it. I can't say I am a fan of spicy foods, but it was fantastic!

 

The beaches in Napier are pebble which is hard to walk on barefoot, but nothing was going to keep these guys from the sea. Before I knew it we were all diving into the ocean fully clothed. The problem is that I think only a couple of them can actually swim.

...

We all survived.

 

Fahim and I are trying to learn German from Bernd, and one of the best parts of the trip had to do with the two of us trying to practice the German accent by repeating everything that came out of Bernd's mouth- you know the game- Copy Cat. Well it works, but it doesn't make the German guy happy. 

I have to say the International part of things has been very interesting. Although there are many American Exchange students, I pride myself on being the only one in a group of friends- I didn't come here to hang out with Americans... Well I get teased a lot for being such, but we've all acquired certain stereotypes. 

We have our little "international disputes", when I am leader of somthing they say- typical american trying to boss everyone around... Due to where I come from I happen to take on the role of the "typical" stupid and ignorant American who has too much money and power to know any different- look at our president they say. 

We joke around a lot, the German's drink and complain too much while the Pakistanis and simply from a whole other planet, but you know after awhile it does get to you. The people I spend time with know that these hollywood themes are not the full truth about America, actually you may be surprised that most of them are more educated about the USA than majority of Americans. You know, It is incredible how much you learn when spending so much time with these highly intellectual people. I was surprised to learn that most of them are working on their post grads and some of them are already veterinarians and doctors. How cool is that!

What better way to end this blog than with an Outhouse! This one is for you Mom! Oh and I don't know how many people you can fit in an outhouse, I wanted to make sure you could still see the hole, you know shit happens.

Greetings from a New Zealand Outhouse!

SHEEP, BAAAH!!

Did I mention all the sheep in New Zealand! THEY ARE EVERYWHERE! I am certainly going to watch Lord of the Rings again, just to look for sheep. I don't know how they could have possibly filmed the whole movie and not overlooked a few.

Castle Point

 This is Steve (Kiwi) and Ivi (German) as we are climbing around the sea cliffs towards a cave at Castle Point. We spent the day surfing in the beautiful blue waters of the cove, and spent the night down the road just off of the beach. We lit a little camp fire and played cards into the night by the light of my head lamp. As we crawled into our sleeping bags and rolled over to say good night, I looked at my watch, only to realize it was 8pm!

  This is the hike across the beach to the light house, which was apparently the last man operated light house in New Zealand.

  

This was one of my favorite finds, it reads home of the lost souls. Need I say more, the monument itself says it all.

This beautiful ocean scape was only fifteen feet from where we slept. The waves were monstrous, I kept dreaming I would be swept up by the sea.

  

This incredible sight is Castle Rock, and the view from above. The bay you are looking at in the first photo is where some of the best surfing takes place. I only hope it isn't a popular place for sharks!

Takin' a rest after a long hike to the top of the world.

Surfing in Wellington

Wellington was Great! We went to Lyall beach where the sky was bright blue and the sun was shining brightly. We couldn't have asked for a more perfect day. Ten incredible hours of surfing- followed by a night out on the town. 

Though surfing was Saturday, Sunday was a more mellow day. One of us was Sick, the other was Actually Sick, and the other was too exhausted to care.

I have to say Wellington was my first REAL culture shock! There are so many FRICKIN people! Where do they all come from? After being absolutely exhausted then submerged into this foreign city. A city in itself is rather foreign to me, let alone the night life of foreigners with cool accents (which I can't really understand). The levels of energy and strength of emotions is powerful and amazing. There were thousands of young people flooding the streets in beautiful dresses and tuxes off to dance and drink the night away to trance of the city rhythm. 

For those of you who have never experienced this- I could not possible describe it in words. You must see it for yourself. For those of you who live in a city, it has probably become so familiar to you that you would probably not recognize the beauty and enchantment of it all. I could only recommend traveling to a small town in the middle of nowhere, to embrace quiet living, space, and clarity of mind.

Obsession with New Zealand- and it's beaches

It's hard to believe I have spent so much of my life landlocked. The ocean is spectacular- and it's everywhere here. Seashells scattered along the beaches, the crash of the waves- a Great Big Fire with good drinks and great company. What more could I ask for?

                 

I managed to borrow a surf board yesterday and I'll be taking it out for the weekend. I am awful at it... actually I am still at the point where I enter the water talking to myself out loud, "I am not afraid of the ocean, I am not afraid of jellyfish. I am not afraid of the ocean, I am not afraid of what's in it..." Actually I feel a lot better about it now.   : )

I have high hopes for getting on the board soon. And if all goes well I'll be in the water when I do it!

  

Somehow we squeezed a surfboard with four people in that car.

I have fallen in love. Sorry Mom, I'm never coming home. The locals tell me I have probably seen some of the worst of this country and I shouldn't base my opinion on where I've been so far. If these places are ugliest- my obsession with New Zealand's beauty can only get worse. 

Next week Featuring:

Wed, Fri, Sat: Surfing

Sun: Hangi- traditional Maori Meal where the food is buried.

 possibly a movie of the bridge jump

Abseiling, Bridge Swinging, Climbing, Exploring- ALPINE CLUB's First Adventure

 

Abseiling is a like repelling, you tie a rope to something securely and do some magic work with the ropes and karabiners and you are able to lower you self down some pretty fantastic places. I'm thinking these skills will come in hand when I go caving later on.

The first pic is of me on the bridge, the guy told me to basically lower myself off the bridge, but keep my feet on it until I was basically upside down. The hard part was trusting myself and the ropes to not slip while I hopped over the railing 60 feet above the ground. 

      

  

Abseiling is AWESOME! 

Mentally preparing myself to jump.

Ryan decided to take his camera with him when he jumped, and snapped shots of his expressions all the way down.

    

Some people needed a little motivation while others had decided, "If I stand on my hands falling wont be so scary right?" It really looked awesome when they fell backwards from a handstand. 

There are great places to explore, we found a series of old train tunnels and broken down bridges. After climbing under one of them I found a Fantastic view overlooking the river and valley below.

Wind farms are everywhere. I have to mention: one girl was upset because she didn't bring a jacket since no one told her we were going to be by the wind farms. She was under the impression that the wind farms actually created the wind.  (She's a college student)

Flatting and a Birthday

Me and All my wonderful Flatmates!

(L: Susan, Capri, Kristin, Julie, Rheyda)

Julie's Birthday was last week, so we celebrated by crowning her princess!

Though I must say Ryan made a pretty princess too.

Campus Activities

Yet even more to catch you up on, I'll have to add photo's later: First week of school here is AWESOME the school throws parties every night, sometimes in the day too. There was a hypnotist yesterday, Toga party last night- way cool, Numerous Free concerts- big bands here too, a Gumboot party, comedy night, etc. and there is free food on the ct. for lunch, provided by the bank for the entire week. 

This is Amhir from Pakistan. After inviting him to the toga party, I later found out that he thought toga was food. Boy was he surprised when I told him take off his shirt and handed him a sheet to wear. He kept asking me, "people do this?" It was a bit of a walk to the party and I think Ahmir thought I playing a joke on him, he let out a Big Sigh of relief when he saw other people wearing sheets and tree leaves too.

Today was club day- and I joined way too many clubs: Surfing- every weekend I'm free, Alpine Club- climbing and outdoor adventures, Release- a reputable traveling photography club, and my Favorite- The Fire Club.

  

The fire club practices the art of poi-  based on the Maori tradition of fire dancing. Actually I picked it up quite quickly. I also aspire to ride the unicycle and enhance my juggling skills. I guess if our careers fail after college we could always start a circus or be street performers.

How in the Hell are you suppose to study in a place this Awesome! All things considered it's actually fairly easy- Classes are just as great! We go on field trips and class only takes up about 12 hours a week. Quite a bit of homework, but I couldn't ask for better classes.

Tonight I joined about 20 friends in a potluck dinner which took place in a place like the true Garden of Eden. It actually reminded me of Alice and wonderland at the Tea Party. It was so surreal, roses all over, bushed in walls, and it was hidden from the rest of the world. It was such a hit we will likely be doing this every week.

Someone pinch me, I think I'm Dead!

Atop the Mountain High: Day 4, final and last day of the North Island Hippie Tour

This is a picture of a topographic map showing Mt. Ruapehu aka Mt. Doom in Lord of the Rings. Cut off at the top is yet another volcano, Mt. Ngauruhoe. The two lakes you see are the Upper and Lower Tama Lakes which is where we hiked our way to heaven. It was about a 16 km hike which is close to 10 miles and was calculated to take around 8 hours to accomplish. The dotted yellow line to the left is the trail we took. Absolutely worth it!!

   

The waterfall below is viewed from a bridge which crosses above. Crazy Max seemed convinced that he could jump and not get hurt. He felt it in his gut that he wouldn't hit any rocks. Well guess what, he didn't die. As soon as I headed up the trail, Max jumps off the rail and plunges into the water below, only to find himself climbing his way back up to finish the hike.  

 

This gorgeous alpine hike tangled us through river bottoms, up and through canyons, over several wooden bridges, and led us by a spectacular waterfall where you could view the entire valley which lay between the two famous volcanos.

        

The lakes were beautiful-      breath taking.

What more can I say, my photos are only a porthole, the lakes, volcanos, and alpine have a spirit and they speak for themselves.

The two guys closest are from Israel, they have taken a year off to travel before beginning a new career, and have already visited 5 countries in 4 months. I've met some incredible people in New Zealand. Many foreigners and Kiwi with different stories and so very much to tell.

On the rim between the Tama lakes I was on top of the world, a place where your soul finds heaven. Somewhere so phenomenal it cannot be described with words but rather demands your essence where your soul becomes free of your body. As the wind battled my legs atop this mountain high, I held a wide grin upon my face as I shouted out Queen's "We are the Champions" as I sang proudly and wildly to my audience all around, the souls of the mountains, lakes, and skies all around. My spirit has never been more free. This moment atop my mountain high will live within me beyond the day I die.