August/September: Travel Notes  

Home
How I Got to NZ
Trip Log & Pictures
New Zealand Culture
New Zealand Literature
Useful Links

STUDY BREAK, ROUND 2: I decided to stay home this time. I wanted to try and save some money, and one of my friends just got a car so I figured there would be day trip options. I figured correctly, and you can see pics of our day trip to Karagahake Gorge here. The pictures really don't do it justice. The trees were unbelievable and their scope cannot be conveyed in a mere picture. The waterfalls were infinitely more impressive in real life. We stopped at the hot springs in Te Aroha on our way home and had a lovely time.

LIFE IN HAMILTON: All is well, what can I say? All the women in my class are obsessed with this local bead store, and I got a gift certificate for my birthday. My first bracelets were a lot of fun (although one of them had an issue with the paint rubbing off so I will be taking it back) and I can see this being a fun new hobby. I have also been working on my drawing skills following some useful tips during our curriculum work, and am having fun with that as a new hobby as well. I also got a used cell phone as a freebie from a friend, and it has really made life more convenient. It was my one big purchase regret that I was too cheap to get one at the beginning of the year. People are really into text messaging here, especially as almost all the internet is dial-up so people's phones are often tied up a lot. Cell phones make life much easier.

REALITY TELEVISION, NZ STYLE: I was kind of bummed to miss for the first time a new season of Canadian Idol, so I was pleased when I learned that the NZ version would be airing while I was here and during the same timeframe as the Canadian one. My verdict? Well, their host is better, although he has no sidekick so he is always there for everything. Their judges are very grim and serious and their lady judge, who is new, spends half her time whining about how mean the boy judges are and the other half of her time flirting with all the male contestants. And the first three kicked out of the top ten were girls because all the 14-year-olds are voting for the cute guys. And you have to PAY to vote. Overall? Sorry, New Zealand. I like the Canadian version better. I do have a school friend who watches it too though. We have been having fun with a little betting pool---loser buys winner lunch downtown :)