"Stars", "The Perfect Day"

I am sad to inform all my loved ones back home (this means YOU!) that I will not be returning to the USA - I have fallen in love with New Zealand!  Here's why:
1) Capers / Slip'n'slide on a Rainy Day

My flat went out for a breakfast bonding session downtown at "capers" - the mother of all pancake restaurants.  On our way home, it began to rain, and then full out downpour.  We stumbled across a random blow-up Slip'n'slide on the grass, and, as any sane, normal person would, decided "hey! We're wet anyway, let's goooo!".  And then, this is what happened:

Wheeee!

 

 

 

2) Swings - a - Plenty
I am pleased to say that I have already discovered three swing sets within ten minutes of our flat, one of them looking across the beautiful Leith river.  One night just before dusk, 5 of us walked down and swung away, peeping up at the very top over the river to watch the sun slowly set.  We then hiked up into the gardens to a bird observatory on the very top, and got another lovely view of the pink-streaked sky.  Sound simple, but truly it is times such as these that make such beautiful impressions.

3)Windstorm and Stars
One dark, windy night a group of us went to throw around a glow in the dark Frisbee at the park.  Seeing there was a raging windstorm, this proved rather difficult, and instead we ended up laying in the grass watching the stars.  How strange it is to see Orion upside down!  As we realized how clear the night was, we decided to hike to the top of the nearby woods to see them better.  We made it to the top and stood on a grassy plateau overlooking the city of Dunedin at night, the harbor, and what felt like the whole galaxy, while the wind in the trees sounded strong as the ocean.  We stayed until we were Popsicles,  then warmed up back at the flat, just talking until early in the morning.  Nothing like pondering the wonders of the universe with good company! 

4)A Musical Flat Complex
I am so blessed to have a great flat complex!  Not only are they fun people to live with, but there is a cool jam band in the making - two ukuleles, one violin, and two guitars! (Look for us in concert in T-minus a year or so!) This discovery warranted a whole afternoon of Ingrid Michaelson and Jason Mraz covers.  The afternoon progressed into a house cooking night, and then a night out on the town for dancing!

5) The Perfect Day
My favorite day yet in NZ! My flatmates, neighbors and I set out to see the Otago Peninsula.  We drove along the coastline, stopping now and then for a clear shot of the mountains, ocean, and occasional brave wind surfer.  The drive itself was pure beauty - driving along the dirt roads, towering, unspoiled mountains on either side, and truckloads of sheep.  I'm afraid I may have sounded like a broken record: "Wooow.Wow.  So pretty! Wow! NZ rocks! Sheeeeep!"

From the window on the drive down

We stopped at the albatross center, and were lucky enough to see two of the giant birds soar across the sky while we were out there.  Sometimes, you wait hours and don't see any, so we were super excited!

Minutes before the Albatross sighting!

Afterward, we drove to Boulder Bay, home to wild penguins.  We parked the car when it started to feel like the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland and we couldn't go down the road anymore.  We hiked down a tiny path, then straight into the bush, headed for the beach in hopes of seeing a penguin.

With no real path, we carefully meandered our way through the bush

One of my favorite things was to brush my hand against the wheat as I walked, and having the wind toss both my hand and the bush as I went.  It was the ideal place - I remember thinking that if heaven was on earth, it would feel as this did: perfect, with the sunlight dancing with the wind in your hair, and completely untouched.  It gave you time to think about what was really important to you; like the wind itself was listening. 

Quietly, as to not disturb or scare any wild penguins, we made our way to the beach.  Because penguins are easily frightened, we hid in a fort of branches we found on the beach, and waited...waited...waited....and guess what?  We saw a penguin! Success!

Our sneaky hiding place

Afterward, we hiked back, taking in the last of the sun and enjoying the beautiful mountains.  To make it a totally kiwi day, we stopped in a hole-in-the-wall restaurant, and took out fish and chips to eat on the beach.  We ran into some feathery friends while we were there:

"Mine? Mine? Mine?" - for all the "Finding Nemo" fans out there

After a classic New Zealand meal of fish and chips, we explored St. Claire's beach a bit more, then drove on home for a movie night.

St Claire Beach

Overall, there has been some great traveling going on and I'm hoping for that trend to continue! Classes have officially started, so we'll see how the adventuring balances out with school.  It's nice to be back in class, especially when the professor has a Kiwi accent!


Thanks for reading, and Cheers!
Love,
Christina

"Nice Gummies!"

Kia Ora from New Zealand!
After many hours of air travel, I touched down safely in Dunedin.  It's only been three days (whaaaat?) and already so much has happened, so here's the highlights!
1) Cross Cultural Mix Up
Air New Zealand had given out dinner, and included in this was a small packet of gummy bears.  A native Kiwi was walking down the aisle, stopped next to me, and said "nice gummies!" to which I replied "yes isn't it nice they handed these out?".  He starts laughing, explaining that "gummies" meant rainboots.  Who knew?  Also for the record, "tramping" means hiking, "pegs" are clothespins, and "uni" is the University.
2) Grocery Adventure
Upon arrival I met my Kiwi host Sarah, who is full of fun, is kind, and seems like a great person to live with.  We swapped stories over tea, and then walked to the grocery store.  Now, one would think it would be walking through a city and a bunch of roads, but instead we walked beside a river, into the woods, and through Dunedin's botanical garden.  Just when you pop out of the beautiful scenery - bam! You have arrived at the grocery store!  Not a bad walk!
3) Can You Please Direct Me Towards....
Registering for classes at Otago is a bit of a maze, so Sarah kindly accompanied me on the first bit of the journey.  We bonded over the fact that both of us lack a good sense of direction, so instead of taking the beeline way to wherever we needed to go, we meandered and explored, enjoying the sunny day and the views of campus.  Here we are in front of the clock tower!

4) It Is Very Plausible That There Might Be A T-Rex In My Backyard
The flat that I live in is the last one at the top of a hill, so we are lucky enough to enjoy the view of Dunedin in front of us and some woods in back.  "Jurassic Park" was filmed in NZ, and these woods are the doppelganger for the ones in the film.  As I watch through the window from the living room, I half hope to see a raptor pop out and scamper down the lane...
Here's a picture of the view from my room!

5) Tunnel Beach
Absolutely beautiful, although the wild NZ ocean roughed me up and stole my sunglasses....a small price to pay for the gorgeous hike down and the great company! My roommate Magnus from Norway and our neighbors Julie and Espen and Luke all made the trek.

The hike down to the beach

 

Tunnel Beach!

6) Wild Hedgehogs and Scary Spiders
Apparently Dunedin has wild hedgies that roam around our flats at night.  My flat mate Magnus and I put out a little treat to try and lure one near, but alas! No luck!  Good thing we have 6 months to spot one. (:
I had an adventure this very morning with another NZ creature who gave me a terrible surprise! I was going to run to the market with my flatmates.  I grabbed my backpack just in time to see a huge spider crawling into my backpack pocket.  I panicked, grabbed it by the handle, and ran it outside only to proclaim "who's out here and who's feeling brave?" Luckily, my Norwegian neighbor came to the rescue, while I stood on the nearby picnic table awaiting the spider to emerge from my bag.  Even he said "that's a monster!"  and I let out a stream of expletives.  All the boys came to stare, and I had to beg them to kill it.  My Norwegian neighbor is now my hero and designated spider killer.  Sadly, I don't think anyone thinks I am a brave individual anymore.

7) Flat BBQ
Our whole flat complex came together for a BBQ that lasted from 5:00pm to 2:00 in the morning.  Needless to say, it was a great time and I am blessed with some awesome neighbors!

8) Outdoor Concert
Julie, Jane and I went to sit in on an outdoor concert this evening, and just talked for an hour enjoying the sun, the wind in the trees, and the music drifting over the Dunedin hills.  I realized how much I love these types of moments, and feel like there are many more to come.

Three days, many adventures! Overall, I am so happy here, and New Zealand will be a beautiful home for the next half a year.  Cheers!!

Christina

Contact Info

T-minus 11 days, friends!
If you would like to contact me while I am away (as I hope you will!), here are some great ways to do so:


1) I will not be using the phone I have now, so please do not call me at my current number as I won't be able to answer.  
2) However - if you have an iphone, there is an app called "Tango" which lets you make international calls, skype, and leave video messages free of charge and is fantastic.  This will be the main way to reach me asap! 
3) Another app called "Whats App" ( like "what's up" hardy har har) lets you text internationally, and I will be able to receive and respond to texts sent out from this.
4) Skype!  Always a good option! (christina.b.robert is my skype account name)
5) Telepathy
6)and, of course, letters!  Please email me if you'd like my address (crobert@uoregon.edu), and/or if you'd be interested in a postcard.


That's all for now, folks! 



Love,
Christina (who is getting to be a "9" on the "1-10" excited scale)