Bay of Islands

June is now upon me and I officially have only 4 weeks left in this beautiful country of New Zealand. I consistently ask myself where the time has gone and I can't help but smile because I know that each moment I have had here has been marvelous! ...and I still have 30 more days to cherish!

This past weekend, Jen and I set out on an 8 hour bus ride to the far northern part of the north island. The Bay of Islands it is called, and that is just what it is. A bay with roughly 145 islands off its coast makes for a beautiful destination.

Our first day there, Jen and I took a sailing trip around the bay. There were only five of us on the boat, making for a quiet and quaint experience. It was magnificent sailing through the bay and seeing many of the various islands - though we actually only covered about a third of the bay, I still was able to capture the marvel of how expansive the space was. In specific spots, we were able to view the open space of the Pacific ocean, knowing that the closest land was Fiji thousands of miles off, it brought me a whole new perspective of where I was. There truly is nothing like sailing in silence and noticing the serenity of nature untouched. We were given an hour to explore one of the islands, something that drew breath away from me as the beauty of such a remote place was so captivating. It was a beautiful day - something very rare to see now entering into winter here, but feeling the heat of the sun once again and seeing the land meet peacefully with the water was beyond picturesque. A gourmet lunch on the boat was just a mid day treat as we then continued to travel through the vast bay. It was a trip that I loved!

The following day, we took an organized trip up to the most northern point of New Zealand - Cape Reinga. Here is the location where the Tazman Sea of the West meets the Pacific Ocean of the East. It was not a definite line of the waters meeting, but a vague change in water color passed through the entire ocean, leading us to believe that was the separation between sea and ocean. It was great to know that we were at the tip top of the island and any other land mass was thousands of miles away. LA lie in a northeast direction 10, 474km away! We dropped off in a rain forest on our way back, something that constantly reminds me of how vibrant the greenery is here! This land is not shy to shout color into the world - such distinct colors paint this place so brightly.

Each morning, we were awake before the sun rose, allowing us to experience sunrises on the bay. It was a spectacular vision; one that reminds you of how special of a gift each new day truly is.

Overall, this trip was delightful and a great reminder of how beauty is captured by this land called New Zealand. I will never forget and always miss driving along the highway and having rolling green hills on either side of me, or rivers and lakes as I just travel from point A to point B. It makes one appreciate the journey and not just focus solely on the destination :)

The passing time

Things have been very quiet here for me during this month of May. These days, the sun appears less and less while the rain pours out more and more. Days of constant rain, days with cold wind chills, days of thick fog - these are days which keep one inside...and this is only fall! Winter is to settle in come June. I can't imagine it getting colder or worse, but it apparently does!

On some small notes, I have still been getting doses of adventure. Just in this month, I have been to two Rugby games. Our home team: Waikato Chiefs are doing extremely well - facing South Africa Bulls this coming Saturday for the Championship title of Super 14! First time our Hamilton Chiefs are in the finals! Rugby is quite an exciting game as the ball never stops moving and these massive guys crush on one another in no padding at all!

One weekend this month, I took a small trip to Whakatane (f - aka - ta - nie) which is East of Hamilton on the Bay. I truly enjoyed this weekend by myself - being on my own schedule, having my own time, and doing whatever I wanted to do was a nice escape. On Friday night, I went to a pub and listened to the live music playing there, while Saturday found me on the shore of the bay for 3.5 hours: reading, journaling, and sleeping. The hostel I stayed in was very quaint - owned by an older couple, it was well maintained and set up as a house. There were only 5 of us staying there, and on Saturday night, we all watched Night at the Museum together. The entire weekend was such an enjoyable time for me!
To finish this month off, this weekend, Jen and I are traveling 8 hours north to the Bay of Islands. It is at the northern part of this North Island and said to be nothing short of magnificent. The following weekend, after our courses are completed, Jen and I are traveling for a week to FIJI. Upon return, I will have time here in Hamilton before I take my finals to finish up, then have a short time before departing to LA. It is all becoming a reality that time here is closing up - and it truly is a sad fact to think about. These upcoming adventures will distract my mind from that thought for a while, and I refuse to begin a countdown!!

Birthday Celebrations in NZ

This past weekend was my birthday weekend. As I turned 21 on May 2, my friends here made sure I made the most of this special occasion.

Beginning Thursday night, a group of 12 of us went out to dinner to a lovely restaurant in town to celebrate my birthday at a time I would still be in Hamilton. As Thursday nights are a popular night to go out in town, we stayed for the evening at clubs and bars pretending like that day was my day :)

The weekend took us to Lake Taupo, 2 hrs south of Hamilton in the center of the North Island. As Jen and I had met a couple on the South Island as we asked them to take a picture of us, they invited us to stay with them anytime we wished to come to Taupo. Taking them up on their offer, we spent the weekend in their lovely home which overlooked the lake. They even invited us to a dinner party to celebrate the beginning of duck hunting with them Saturday night. It was a special treat to be in a home and with a couple who welcomed us as thier own.

The main reason for our trip to Taupo this weekend especially was for skydiving. Known as the skydiving capitol of the world, Taupo provides a 15,000ft jump over the lake. With clear skies, one can see both the East and the West coasts of NZ. As we thought of what we could do on my actual birthday, Jen and I thought, "What's more exciting than jumping out of a plane?!" In light of this, there were five of us which travelled to Taupo, making for an extended birthday party for me! As Saturday turned out to be a gloomy, cloudy day, no jumps were allowed to take place, so we had to wait until Sunday morning. This was a good lesson for all of us to just go with the flow and find joy even when things don't end up the way you had envisioned them to. Sunday morning was bright, clear and beautiful, allowing for a gorgeous jump.

It was a supurb birthday, and one I will never forget to be sure!

I have attached a link to my skydiving photos, because my words just cannot explain the experience well enough! Lets just say though that the free fall is insane: it is cold, and the pressure of the wind is intense making it hard to breathe as well as move any part of your body. You will see in the photos that my arms are always out and back, its because there was no way to fight the wind to put them anywhere else! Getting up to speeds of 200km per hour (more than 100mph), it feels as though you are in a tunnel of wind, cold wind! But as soon as the parashoot is pulled, all pressure is released and the most lovely, relaxed gliding begins - I reckon its the best part.

There is hardly any comparison to bungee jumping. As in a bungee jump, it is all you: you have to make the leap. In skydiving, the guide on your back does everything and there is truly no time for you to think about being scared. Your in the plane, just like any other plane ride, you see the ground below you, but before you know it, you are being scooted to the edge and off you go. Only once did my heart drop to my stomach, and that was when the door of the plane opened up - at that moment I thought "Oh God no. No I don't wanna jump out of a plane!" haha, but being moved around gave me no choice. Also, not having to be the one to push us out of the plane stole all pressure and fear away - I was just along for the ride!