N is for...

New Experiences.

N was originally going to be for New Zealand, and I mean seriously, what else could N possibly be for?  Except that I don't really have much to post about New Zealand that I haven't already.  Basically it would just be a reminiscing blog and I don't want to do that.  So I will, instead, focus on new experiences and anyone interest in reading about my time in NZ can check out this post or this one. 

New Experiences!  I love doing new things.  Even if they turn out to be pretty suck-y, new things just give a little kick to life.  I've had a lot of new experiences in the past year, going to NZ, traveling around NZ, traveling around cities, abseiling, almost skydiving, etc.  All of those experiences are great memories to have.  Even little things like going to the Pennsylvania Renaissance Fair last fall or the 2012 Northeast Conclave of The Wildlife Society this past weekend (the reason I posted three blogs at once) are great to mix up the daily grind.

Yes, days off are always important.  Give yourself some time to relax, sure, but make sure you get out, too.   There is so must to do, so much to see, and so much fun to be had!  Why would you ever pass it up to sit on your couch and watch reruns on TV?  There are plenty of activities out there, both that require money and ones that don't.  There are plenty of parks around, even stopping by a playground while school is in session and spending some time reliving your childhood is a great way to step out of the ordinary.  Teach yourself to knit or go to a photography workshop.  Like the picture says, try something new! 

A reoccurring theme in one of the books I'm currently reading is the John Lennon quote, "Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans."  Don't let life go on without you because believe me, it's entirely too short to begin with.

Crêpes and Rugby, My Favorite

4/30/11     Kaikoura -> Picton -> Wellington -> Palmy

This morning began relatively late for the Kiwi bus, 9:00.  We hit a little snag, however, when Andy (the driver) told us that the alternator was broken and the battery was dead, thus the bus wouldn't start.  Luckily the mechanic was super fast in showing up and helping us out.  We were on our way by 9:17.

Due to our late start each of our stops was only about 5-10 minutes.  We did get to stop and see some seals.  Honestly, if you don't like baby seals there is something seriously wrong with you.  They're just so adorable and awkward.  Anyways, our only other stop was a toilet break.  Everything else was straight on to Picton to ensure we made the ferry to Wellington.

Māori Tour

Our first full day in Auckland began with the splitting of our group.  Eighteen people went canyoning while the other eighteen went on a Māori tour of the city.  I went on the tour.  If you’re wondering what canyoning is, we’ll get to that later. 

We had two tour guides for the day, Staci and Michelle.  Both lovely women were half Māori themselves.  We began the tour with a short drive to the top of Maungawhau aka Mt. Eden, the largest volcanic cone in Auckland.  We received a brief introduction to both our guides and to Māori culture.  We moved out around the cone to the other side, where there was a little observation area.  From there we could see the entire city, including most of the other 47 volcanic cones. 

After trooping back to the vans and packing ourselves inside, it was another drive over to the Auckland Museum. 

We didn’t spend too much time at the museum, but we had enough time to watch the live Māori dance presentation and then a brief tour around the exhibit. 

Now, while the tour was extremely informative and interesting, I don't remember too much of it because we were only there for maybe an hour, and half of everything that was said was in Māori, which I am currently learning.  So, after the museum tour, we herded outside like the good little sheep we were and onto the lawn in front of the museum for some authentic Kiwi fish and chips.  Sweet as.  It was utterly delicious.  We were told that the place that made it was one of the guides personal favorites in the city, so that was a good thing.