south island road trip!-Day 14

walking down regent st with our fish and chips

jenny writing in her journal at base backpackers

Day 14- Christchurch

 

So after waking  to yet another sheep field and some really big trucks trying to park near us we decided to book it into the city and drop our van off early so we could walk around the city and get lodging at a Base Backpackers right in Cathedral Square.  We washed it twice (caveman was pretty dirty) and checked out A OK.

Unfortunately as soon as we checked into our hostel it started to pour!  We just decided to take showers (the 3rd shower of our entire trip) lounge around.  We were pretty tired anyways.  Later we got some fish and chips and I tried pawa (like abaloney) and it was kinda yucky.  Good ol fish and kumara chips were good as usual tho.  

Under all of the bunks people had written their names and funny messages so  Leah and I decided to leave our marks.  

It was a relaxing end to an amazing trip:)

volunteer weekend at Motuihe

this is the cabin we stayed in 

we planted trees and bushes to help feed the native birds

 

we cleaned trash off the beach and got to enjoy some free time.  This is my favorite tree to date! Its roots are upturned so that you can crawl into them.  Its like a little hideaway fort and there's even a swing!

 

the sun set over the water as we ate dinner

we planted seeds we gathered from around the island

we wrapped up pohutukawa trees to keep them safe from the spraying they are doing later this week.  they are spraying the yellow gorse bushes which are not native and choke out other native nz plants on the island

This weekend ended up being one of the nicest weekends I've spent yet.  On friday I wanted to do something special for mom so I went out to dinner with some friends.  We went to a korean restaurant that I hadnt been to before and it turned out to be really great.  Afterwards we went out for dessert and I ordered chocolate gelato.  I know she would have really enjoyed it:)  

Saturday morning I set out for my volunteer project on Motuihe Island.  The island is very small and it is situated in between Rangitoto Island and Waiheke Island.  Its incredibly beautiful with heaps of green fields green, gnarled trees, and sandy beaches.  Mom would have been so inspired by the landscapes as well as the gorgeous plantlife.  Their goal is to make the island into a type of wildlife reserve for native plants and birds that people can visit and come to really appreciate the natural beauty of New Zealand.  They called it a "recreational reserve". We helped out by collecting and planting seeds, cleaning up trash and that type of thing.  We also got some free time to hike around the island and enjoy the beautiful beaches.  I also got a chance to see heaps of native New Zealand birds!  I saw pukeko, ducks of paradise, saddlebacks, fantails, and a type of small owl that I can't remember the name of.  It was really neat!  One of the main volunteers on the island told me that in June they will be releasing kiwi onto the island!  I think I am going to go back for the release.  

No one else lives on the island except for the dock master and the park ranger so that night there were a total of 11 people on the island.  It was a really cool feeling.  I think Motuihe  is definitely my favorite island so far and I can't wait to go back!

P.S.  all of these pictures are taken on my new camera!  My old camera was having lens problems so I had to buy a new one.  My Taupo pictures were complement of David and Christy's cameras.  Thanks!

on the path to mordor . . .

our journey begins

I see Smeagol behind every rock 

our view of Mt Ngauruhoe aka MT DOOM

halfway through the devil's staircase

now we cross the south crater

 preparing to hike into nothingness

ouch.  sliding through "loose scree" into the red crater

now we've reached the Emerald Lakes 

and the less poisonous looking Blue Lake

David and Jacob agree that it's time to eat more chipies

the scenery becomes a lot more grassy.  i imagine Legolas trotting lightly down the hill on his little elf feet

 

taking a rest before our descent

pretty high up, its gonna be a long walk down

and then suddenly we are in the jungle. its a nice shady walk till the end of the trail

So here's a quick summary of the Tongariro Alpine Crossing.  We started at the Mangatepopo car park where our bus dropped us off, and started the first part of our trek to Soda Springs.  This part was pretty easy and we got a great view of the surrounding mountains towering above us as well as a waterfall and some small creeks which I assume are the Soda Springs.  The next part of the hike becomes a lot steeper as we hike up the side of the South Crater.  This section was called the Devil's Staircase.    Once we have conquered the Devil's Staircase we make our way across the flat South Crater.  Once to the other side of the crater we have lunch on a small rock outcropping overlooking a steep rocky cliff marking the rim of the crater where "if you fall you will not come out" (according to our map).  At this point we might have been able to take the side track up Mt Ngauruhoe, but we were afraid we would not have enough time to catch the bus if we did.  Next we begin our "last big climb for the day"  up the Red Crater Ridge.  For me this was the hardest part of the trek because it was extremely steep and the ground was quite loose under our feet.  Once we reached  the top we had a view of the Emerald Lakes down below in the crater.  This spot was incredibly beautiful as well as pretty strange.  After we passed the Emerald Lakes we soon came across the Blue Lake which was much larger and didn't look as though if you jumped into it you would sizzle into a crisp.  We then followed the track down through the Rotopaunga valley to the Ketetahi hut where there were toilets and a nice spot to rest for a bit.  Coming out on this side of the pass there was a dramatic change in scenery.  The view was a lot less alien and volcanic, and more open and picturesque.  Im not sure which I prefer.  The hike down the north face of the mountain was really a downhill stroll through pretty hills and flowers.  Then, yet again the scenery changed and we entered into a tunnel of trees.  The last mile or so of the trip was through a ferny forest complete with picturesque waterfalls a loud birds.  It really was a strange journey and I definitely felt accomplished by the end.

Lake Taupo

This weekend was my easter break so I took a 5 day trip to Lake Taupo.  Me and three friends took a 4 hour bus ride to Taupo and stayed in a hostel called the Tiki Lodge.  The hostel was really nice and we met a lot of really cool people.  It was comforting to be around so many friends at Easter, it was kind of like a surrogate family:)  Here's what we did . . .

The first day we took a hike to Huka Falls.  This part of the Waikato river had incredible rapids, beautiful clear water, and even natural hot springs that you can lounge around or play in.    

The second day we decided to hike the Tongariro Crossing.  This is an all day 12 mile hike through the Tongariro National Park.  This park is home to Mt Ngauruhoe aka MT DOOM! from the Lord of the Ring movies.  We were a bit behind so we didnt actually get to do the sidetrack and climb Mt Ngauruhoe, but it was definitely an incredible sight.  It was a unique Easter experience.  ( more pictures to come . . .)

http://www.www.youtub.com/watch?v=9n3ggVn6GMM

Finally, on the last day since our bus didn't come till 3:30 we decided to fit in one last activity . . . bungy jumping!! I know I said I wasn't going to do it, but something about New Zealand just makes you wanna jump off stuff!  I was terrified since well Im terrified of heights and I still cant believe I was able to face my fears and do it, but Im so glad I did!!  My jump was 47 meters or 154 ft! AHHHHHHH! ( check out my video^)

art show

So my first art show was wednesday.  Everyone in each department (photography, painting, sculpture, and print) were required to do 2 weeks of drawing.  They used the term drawing pretty loosely and encouraged students to experiment and look at things in different ways.  I felt very inspired by the trees in Albert park, so that was my starting point.  I started drawing the trees from pictures I had taken, and then I moved onto drawing the negative space around the trees and then finally some blind contour drawings (where I could only look at what I was drawing, not at the paper and I could never lift my pen).  One day when I was walking I saw a weed growing at the side of the art building, I yanked it up and the roots and everything came out with it.  I gathered some more and decided to make prints with the weeds I found.  I brought some paper from home that when you lay objects on it and then put it in the sun it leaves an impression and kind of looks like a cyanotype.  I made a few of these prints and then I began to do blind contour drawings of the weeds as well.  I really loooooove blind contour.  Anyways, I played around with the linework I came up with during of all these processes, combined them and used some color.  I really like some of the abstract images I came up with because they still have the essence of what I started with, but they really became something quite different.  Im really glad I got this opportunity to experiment, I really had fun and I feel like I came up with something completely different then what I would have come up with back home.  I also think some of these drawings will translate well into prints.

The way the show is set up is everyone gets a bit of wall space and you have to select the work that you think should go up based on what goes best together, and what you think is your best and most evololved work.  The rest of the "supporting work" or "sources" goes on the floor in piles for the professors  to look through. 

Hope you enjoy it, the pictures aren't very high quality, but I tried:) Also if you click on the image it should enlarge so maybe you can see it better (or it may look worse because of the quality who knows lol)