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Last weekend, I headed over to Queenstown with the other Arcadia Study Abroad students. We spent 2 1/2 days in the adventure capital of the world, jet boating, hiking, luging, and, for the brave ones, bungy jumping.
The drive to Queenstown took a little over 3 hours. When we arrived, we checked into the Pinewood Lodge where I shared a tiny room with 5 other girls. It wasn't the greatest, but it was a place to sleep. There was a kitchen, too, so I was able to bring food from home instead of eating out all weekend.
After everyone was settled in, we drove to the Shotover River where we took a jet boat ride. I had a blast! The boat only needs 4 inches of water to operate on, and our driver was a maniac. (Well, I guess all of the drivers are crazy. That's what makes the ride so exciting!) We came within inches of scraping against rock walls and running into logs, and we did lots of 360ยบ turns.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBT-2yGXVwU&feature=related
The rest of the night was open for free time. I went to downtown Queenstown with Cleo, another Arcadia student. It was really touristy, but so charming at the same time.
In the morning, we had the option of either skiing/snowboarding 
or hiking. I chose to hike. Everyone going on the hike had to be ready to go at, as they say, "7:45 AM in the morning". We drove over an hour to the start of the Routeburn Track. I had been told to wear lots of warm clothing. Usually, there's lots of snow and the temps are pretty low when the group does the hike at this time of year. Fortunately, it was a gorgeous day. Unfortunately, I wore way too many layers and had nothing to put them in as I took them off.
After crossing the third swinging bridge about an hour and a half into our hike, we stopped for "morning tea". I ate a Luna bar and filled up my water bottle in the river flowing by, and then we continued on. If I thought the first section was hard, I was in for a big surprise for the second section! It was almost continuously uphill. After 2 or so hours of huffing and puffing my way up the mountain, I finally made it to the Routeburn Falls hut where we could eat lunch. By that time, my stomach was growling and I inhaled my food. Jane, the Arcadia director in NZ, made us a hot blackcurrant drink. (Usually by the time people get to the hut, they are frozen and the warm drink is perfect. This time, we weren't really frozen, but the hot drink was still perfect.)
I went with a group heading up even further to go see a lake. At 
this point, we had finally reached some snow. Again, it was mostly uphill and steep, but I felt determined to stick with the group. We made it to the lake, but had to turn around immediately if we were to make it back to the bus in time. Of course, the way back down was much easier, but it still took at least 3 hours. I chatted with a new friend, which helped pass the time.
As we got closer and closer to the end, my feet and my legs were getting more and more sore. (They are still hurting now! It's hard to walk!) We made it, though, and we weren't even the last ones. The bus took us back to Queenstown and we ate delicious pizza at Winnie Bago's. I walked back the the Lodge, took a shower, and passed out on my bed.
Sunday was more laid back, but still a lot of fun. We took a gondola ride to the top of a mountain. From there, we strapped on helmets, hopped onto a chairlift, and came sliding down the hill on a luge track. I had a blast! We each got to take 3 rides. We had to take the slower scenic route to get used to it, and then we could do the advanced route. The scenery was amazing and I hardly felt the cold.
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fter taking the gondola back down, the bungy jumpers left for their adventure. No way did I do that! I went to a restaurant called Ferg Burger with a friend. (Jane was giving recommendations for restaurants on Friday night. She mentioned Ferg Burger, saying it in her cute NZ accent. Then she paused and said, "Ferrrg Burrgerr, as you Americans say".) It was crowded, but for a good reason. It was delicious! I had a burger with bacon, cheese, lettuce, tomato, avocado, and some kind of sauce. I must have been hungry, too, because I was able to eat the entire thing. Celia and I went shopping at Glassons, a chain of clothing stores, and we got a free fudge sample at a candy shop.
All of the non-bungyers hopped on the bus and drove to 
Arrowtown, a famous gold town. We only had 20 minutes to walk around, and I think it was really just a way to kill time while we waited for the bungy jumpers to finish. I got some walnut and coffee ice cream, though, which was superb. My group then went to the first ever bungy bridge and saw about 10 people jump. The brave Arcadia kids met up with us there and we headed back to Dunedin.
I guess skateboarding is a pretty big thing here. Half of the guys in my class walk in carrying one, and people are zooming by me all the time on campus. Today I saw a boy with a kind of skateboard I had never seen before - his feet were both on separate little platforms, not connected at all. I think if I tried to ride around campus like that, I'd fall over for sure.
Today, I walked about a half an hour over to Baldwin Street, the claimed Steepest Street in the World. It was there that the annual Cadbury Chocolate Carnival's Jaffa Race was to be held.
At half past 12, thousands of candy-coated chocolates were released from the top of the street and bounced, clattered, and rolled their way down the street while onlookers ooo-ed and ahhh-ed over their massive quantity and speed.
Before race day, raffles were sold all of the country. For $1, you could buy a number whose pair was attached to a single Jaffa. The first 5 Jaffas to make it down Baldwin and into a funnel won prizes.
The sun is shining today! My room, for once, is not an ice box and I got warm after being outside for 10 minutes. I could get used to this. (I probably shouldn't, though, as this is an atypical Dunedin winter day.) I figured I should write a blog entry when I could actually feel my fingers hitting the keys.
Classes technically started yesterday, but my classes started today. So far, I like my schedule and my classes pretty well. I have Mondays and Wednesdays off every week! My God and Ethics in the Modern World class has two lectures every week as well as one tutorial, or smaller discussion group, every week. History also has two lectures a week, but the tutorial only meets a few times throughout the semester. And Te Tiriti o Waitangi, a class about the Treaty of Waitangi between the British and the Maori, never has a tutorial.
For all three classes, my grade is based solely on 2 essays and the final exam. No pressure there, huh?! All of the reading material is posted and is available in the library, which is nice, and saves a lot of money.
I guess the first week after holidays is usually pretty loud and a lot of students party every night. I just got back from wandering around and picking up a few groceries. On my way home, I walked down Castle Street where most residents are students. Doors were wide open, people were sitting on roofs drinking and smoking, and music was blasting from the stereo systems. This was at 3:00 in the afternoon. It sure makes me appreciate my quiet location right near campus and next to only one other uni flat. It also makes me appreciate my non-partying flatmates! I think I would be pretty miserable if my house was the party hub, or next door to the party hub. I guess things just have a way of working out.
Today, all of the Arcadia study abroad students went on a nice long bike ride. We met up at the clock tower on campus and took a couple of taxis to a rental shop. As everyone was fitted with bikes and helmets, I stood in front of a gas-powered heater and soaked in as much warmth as I could. After everyone was ready to go, we headed through the town and towards the beach.
It was difficult to maneuver 25 people across the busy streets, and I'm pretty sure we broke half a dozen laws. We rode on the wrong side of the street, crossed without crosswalks, and used the sidewalks. The cops didn't seem to mind, though, and one of the students even stopped and had a conversation with two female officers stopped at a red light.
As we came nearer to the beach, we climbed two big hills. That sure warmed me up! From there, we had breathtaking views of the roaring sea below us. After an adventure down to the sand and picturesque lookouts, we headed to a restaurant for pizza bread with humus and warm garlic bread. I splurged and bought a $4 hot chocolate, one of the best investments I've made thus far on my trip. Delicious!
I've made it safely to Dunedin and I'm finally feeling settled. My room is set up, my flat mates are here, and my things are all put away. It's so nice to stop living out of a suitcase!
Dunedin is cold. And yes, this is coming from a Minnesotan. The difference between Dunedin cold and Minnesota cold is that there is no central heating in the flats. I have a small space heater in my room, but it can only be on for about 30 minutes at a time to save on electricity. I have worn my Patagonia Puff and my Columbia fleece nonstop since arriving here.
The orientation that Arcadia University, the program through which I'm studying, was nice. We spent a day in Auckland, travelling around, mostly to keep us from going to bed and to avoid jet lag. We took a hike, saw the Uni campus there, and went up in the famous sky tower. (I heard someone say that it is the tallest building in the southern hemisphere.) On Saturday, we drove a couple hours to a town called Rotorua. The town is situated on a Lake Rotorua and around many natural hot springs. The whole down smelled like rotten eggs because of the sulfur in the water. It was also pretty touristy and is known as Roto-Vegas.
While we were there, we visited an outdoor hot spring pool,
experienced the famous New Zealand-created zorbing, went to a sheep show, and walked around 2 environmental parks. (The picture is taken of us inside the zorb after our roll down the hill). I had a good time but was very ready to get to Dunedin.
Since I've been here, I've had a campus tour, gone shopping, and gotten to know 2 of my 3 flat mates. Living with me in 42 St. David St. are Des, my Kiwi Host, Chesney from Colorado, and Hiroshi from Japan. He just arrived this morning and went straight to bed, so I have not had a chance to meet him. The other two are pretty nice. We watched an episode of a British TV show together tonight.
Tomorrow is more orientation for all of Otago's international students, opening a bank account, and paying for my linen pack.
"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--
Of cabbages--and kings--
And why the sea is boiling hot--
And whether pigs have wings."
Today I begin the journey of a lifetime. At 9:30 tonight, my plane will lift off and carry me 13 hours and 6500 miles over the sea then leave me to grow, explore, and learn for the next 4 1/2 months.
or hiking. I chose to hike. Everyone going on the hike had to be ready to go at, as they say, "7:45 AM in the morning". We drove over an hour to the start of the Routeburn Track. I had been told to wear lots of warm clothing. Usually, there's lots of snow and the temps are pretty low when the group does the hike at this time of year. Fortunately, it was a gorgeous day. Unfortunately, I wore way too many layers and had nothing to put them in as I took them off.
this point, we had finally reached some snow. Again, it was mostly uphill and steep, but I felt determined to stick with the group. We made it to the lake, but had to turn around immediately if we were to make it back to the bus in time. Of course, the way back down was much easier, but it still took at least 3 hours. I chatted with a new friend, which helped pass the time.
fter taking the gondola back down, the bungy jumpers left for their adventure. No way did I do that! I went to a restaurant called Ferg Burger with a friend. (Jane was giving recommendations for restaurants on Friday night. She mentioned Ferg Burger, saying it in her cute NZ accent. Then she paused and said, "Ferrrg Burrgerr, as you Americans say".) It was crowded, but for a good reason. It was delicious! I had a burger with bacon, cheese, lettuce, tomato, avocado, and some kind of sauce. I must have been hungry, too, because I was able to eat the entire thing. Celia and I went shopping at Glassons, a chain of clothing stores, and we got a free fudge sample at a candy shop.
Arrowtown, a famous gold town. We only had 20 minutes to walk around, and I think it was really just a way to kill time while we waited for the bungy jumpers to finish. I got some walnut and coffee ice cream, though, which was superb. My group then went to the first ever bungy bridge and saw about 10 people jump. The brave Arcadia kids met up with us there and we headed back to Dunedin.
