Pictures and Movies

Half of my pictures are up, in slideshow form, to the direct right of this post. You can click on them to go to my picasa web album and look at them in larger form.

Also, the movies of my bungy and skydive are at the bottom of the page.

I will put up the other half when I get to Williston (ahhh! more traveling!) tomorrow, as I'm staying in Fargo with TC tonight (and celebrating his and Kelci's engagement!!!)

Also, I plan on adding a few photos to each post, and maybe adding some more details, so you can better see what I did and don't have to guess what each photo is!

Anyways, a little update since I got home:
I got home at 12:30 am, and was exhausted. But I couldn't sleep. I felt like I needed to do something, so I went on my computer and just freaked until 6 am. Then I slept until 4 pm, went to Red Cross EMT training from 6-8, came home, couldn't fall asleep until about 2 am, then slept until noon. My schedule is still way off.

Well, I gotta get going to Fargo so I can see the two lovebirds...

Back in da city.

I'm home.

After 28.5 hours en route, I have made it here safely.

and i'm hungry and tired, so this is all i'm typing.

my last day...

So my flight to Auckland from CHC went without issue. I stayed in the same hostel as a girl I met before so we met up and hung out for the past few days.

We went shopping a little bit and traveled around Auckland. The hostel I stayed at was crap. really crap.

Last night we went and saw the Dark Knight at the IMAX and then had a long discussion on it on the walk home. it was grand.

Then we got back to our room. And there needs to be a little bit of background to this: our hostel has an apartment set up where there is a main room with a kitchen and couches and then 4 dorm rooms. 3 of the dorm rooms were filled with guy. the other had my friend and i. These guys had been pretty loud every night but really paid no attention to us.
Back to the story. We walk in to all of the guys looking at us and laughing. Whatever, walk on by and I get to the door and look back to see one of them completely naked on the couch. So i shake my head and go into my room. 30 minutes later when i go to brush my teeth, he is still naked.

Hostel life is definitely always a new experience...

My plane leaves at 4 today and I am so torn. I want to get back to mpls and see my friends, the kids i nanny for, and see my family, but being here is the best experience I've ever had. I have never been happier than in the past month, and it's hard for me to leave that.

Still in Christchurch....

Bought my plane ticket to head back to auckland today, and i leave at 11:00 tomorrow morning.

I had a great day today, spent a lot of time(the whole day) with a friend from atlanta. Went to two markets, played frisbee, walked through the botanical gardens (kind of), saw a movie (smart people), got lost, then went out to eat at Mickey D's, and sat around and talked at a great bar. Overall, good day, albeit a bit cold at times.

I said goodbye to the Irish couple this morning. Then I said goodbye to my friends from Atlanta, and I just said goodbye to the English couple. It's a weird day as I am so sad to see all of them go, yet excited because I've met these really great people that I can go visit whenever I want.

Anyways, I really need some rest, so I will, hopefully, update one more time before I leave for home, then update with pictures once I get there!

Back in Christchurch

Left Lake Tekapo this morning after a very full rest (about 11 hours, I'd say). I'm still pretty sick, so I'm hoping this ends soon (the sickness, not my trip!!) I didn't really do anything except play card games last night.

Had a late start this morning (we got to leave at 8:30!) then headed to a salmon farm (actually i think that was yesterday, oh well!) which was neat.

I don't really like christchurch, but there's a bar i'm heading to tonight with some friends that's supposed to be great. The Irish couple i'm friends with is leaving tomorrow and I am so sad. The english couple is still here, though, so that should be good, and I'm meeting up with some friends from Atlanta, too, before I leave for Auckland again and then head home. I am so sad to leave this place and this way of life!

Life is amazing at 12000 feet!

I have so much to update!!!

Lets begin witih Wednesday: I woke up at 7 am after getting home at 4 to see if i could cancel my milford sound trip (for various reasons, one being that my camera battery had died and what's the point if i can't take pictures?) I accidently took my bedsheets with me when i checked out of the hostel, so i was slightly embarassed. Luckily, i got it canceled, walked back home, and slept until about 9, which at that time I decided to go skydiving with these two sisters from Coventry, England. About two hours later I was in a plane, strapped to a guy with a backpack, jumping out 12000 feet above the ground. It was the most amazing experience of my life. It was so gorgeous, the pictures i got do it no justice. My free fall was for 45 seconds, but felt like no time at all! Don't worry, I got the DVD of it to prove that i did it. I spent the rest of the night with soem friends I've made from Atlanta, playing cards and chatting.

Thursday: Left Queenstown unwillingly, and continued on to Dunedin, which was where I was planning on studying abroad. A gorgeous little town. I went on a tour of the Cadbury chocolate factory which was awesome, but would have been better if i liked chocolate!!! They even had a chocolate waterfall! (which wasn't as cool as it sounds) I BBQ'd with some friends (an Irish couple and an English couple) and it was great = bread, buns, enough sausages for everyone to have 2.5, and a burger and chips for under 4 NZD each! amazing. Went and played pool with the bus driver for about three hours which was really fun, except that I kept getting worse as the night went on.

Today: I started the morning by running up the worlds steepest hill (in Dunedin). It was tiring and my legs/butt hurt. I'm in Lake Tekapo now, but there's really nothing to do here because it's winter, but it really is gorgeous. We stopped at these cool boulders on our way in, and saw some beautfiul lakes: one thing about NZ isi that all the river and lakes are this gorgeous green/blue and I feel like I'm at the sea, no matter where I'm at!

I think we're going ice skating soon, and I'm running out of internet time, so I better get going. I leave so soon and I am definitely not ready for it!

BUNGEE!!!

Yesterday I went bungee jumping. I got the DVD of it so people will actually believe that I did it.

How many people can say that?!?!

Got to Queenstown and it's so beautiful. I could stay here forever, with the mountains and mirror lakes. I've taken so many pictures the past few days it's ridiculous. The lakes here have the blue-green of the carribean. it's beyond spectacular.

I went on a bar crawl last night with my bus, which was amazingly fun. Nothing more to be said about that :)

Don't tell my mom, but I'm going skydiving in 45 minutes.

Heli-hike and glaciers

Went out last night on the brewery tour, which was great because of all the beer and great food! I filled myself up to the brim! I hung out with these two guys from Atlanta most of the night and had a mighty swell time.

Woke up early and got on the bus. Stopped in a gold mining town (Ross) and learned how to pan for gold, then bought a beautiful hand carved jade necklace.

Our bus driver got pulled over by the cops, so that cut a little into our time, but it turned out okay. He's a swell guy.

Got to Franz-Josef and planned the Heli-hike. AMAZING. Took a 15 minute helicopter tour of the glacier and mountains (freaky! i kept thinking that everythign was closer than what it was and thought we were going to crash!!). We then landed on the glacier and took a 3 hour hike aroudn it. It is, by far, the most amazing experience of my life. The helicopter ride back down was amazing also. I can't even describe the greatness of this experience.

I'm just on my way to head to the pub with a few girls I've been staying with the past few days and to meet up with the Irish friends I've made.

This is the best experience of my life. I wish I could write down all the reasons why I love Enzed, but it would be endless. My mind can't even comprehend how amazing this is for me. I am, by far, the happiest person in the world right now!

A lot of catching up to do!

On Friday I walked around Wellington with the girls I met from London, then we headed to the rugby game (Wellington v Hawkes Bay). It was a beautiful stadium and I had a wonderful time. We went out and had a fun time. Some random guy told me he loved me, so I didn't stick around too long and went to bed somewhat early.

Woke up and almost missed the bus to the ferry! got on the ferry, which was way less turbulent and took a good nap. Got to Picton and the Magic bus was not there. Ended up not getting there until 5 hours later, so I got to meet my bus mates pretty well. And I ate subway (BARF). haha, oh well. Got to Nelson in time for the All Blacks (NZ) v Wallabies (OZ) rugby match, which was excellent at the local bar. Some guy there told me I would make the perfect wife and tried to convince me to stay in New Zealand and get residency and marry him. Nope. I told him I wasn't getting married for at least another 5 years. oh well. A bunch of the poeple on the bus are Irish, so I've been hearing a lot of riddles and Irish jokes, which I've really been enjoying. They are trying to teach me some Irish, but I'm no good at it, but they're no good at Ojibwe, so it makes sense. Stopped at a rainforest and walked to a secluded beach, saw seals, and saw pancake rocks today, and am on my way to go on a brewery tour in Greymouth, so I am pretty excited.

My camera died, but someone took pictures for me and is going to put them on a disc, so thats okay. I'm charging it right now!

Tomorrow I am going on a heli-hike which they fly me to the top of a glacier (Franz Joseph), then we hike down! i am so excited!

I ended up not meeting up with someone that I was going to in Wellington, but I had a blast of a time anyways.

p.s. Mirah bella- I have been meaning to send you a postcard, but haven't quite got to it yet... but I want you to know that when you get a wee bit older, I am taking you here, just as my auntie took me to the bahamas... It's the best place in the world and you would love it. I can't wait to see you again my dear.

Landslides and Washouts

Yesterday was a long day.

I was really excited to go to Kaikoura, and then we almost got stranded there. The roads were all washed out (i'm pretty sure they became rivers at some parts) but luckily we got through finally at 3 (I was supposed to leave at 8) and made it to the ferry to Wellington.

The ferry was huge. It was bad weather, so I almost got seasick, but I didn't. The ferry had a cinema, cafe, lounge, arcade, and was absolutely beautiful. Part of the "entertainment on board" was a "crazy Irishman" getting his foot stuck in an armrest :)

After arriving in Wellington I checked into my hostel and then went out with some of the girls that I met from my trip (from the UK and Ireland). We went to a few slow bars (including the base one, where Faviano proceded to annoy me from the last night I met him) and then went to one with this great live band, the noodles. A few creepy old men hit on me, to which I pushed them aside, and then me and this Argentinian guy danced latino style to 500 Miles by the Proclaimers. It was amazing.

I slept in late this morning, then just wandered the city again. Tonight I am going to a rugby game (yay!!!!) and then going out again, maybe meeting up with someone later on.... I leave tomorrow morning at 8 back for the south island. woo for glacier climbing and the milford sound!!

i can't believe i have less than two weeks left.... i don't think i'm ready to leave!