Taking it slow in Wellington

It is Wed. Jan 30 at 3:30pm. I am in Wellington, the capital of NZ. Yesterday, we went over to someone's (people that one of the girls I'm traveling with know) place and had some yummy barbeque. I learned that they call sausages "snags" in Australia. A hot dog in NZ is a corndog (comes fried on a stick) and an American hot dog would be the hot dogs we all know in North America that comes in a bun.

The sun is especially strong in NZ - I hear that there is no ozone here. I burned a little yesterday and it stings a little in water. Sunblock is mighty expensive here too...they go for about $30 a bottle! It is recommended that we use a minimum of SPF 30 here. Good thing I brought 45 SPF from home! I have some on now.

We are going to look around Wellington a bit tonight and have dinner with some people we met last night. We will be jumping onto the ferry tomorrow to head over to the South Island. It's approximately a 3 hour ferry.

I just tried uploaded some pics from the rafting but it's taking forever. Sorry, looks like you all will have to wait a bit.

Cheers!

Fun Packed Rotorua

It is Tues. Jan 29 at 10:30am. On Sunday, we went for our traditional Maori experience. We went into Maori terrritory as another "tribe". Once there, we were welcomed with the traditional Maori greeting where they showed their weapons and stuck out their tongues. They were testing whether we were friend or foe. They knew we were friends when our "chief" (some Irish lad on his honeymoon) accepted their offering (a branch). We then saw a cultural show and ate hangi (which was delicious!!!).

Yesterday (Monday), we went white water rafting on a track with the highest commercial drop for a waterfall in the world (7 metres!!). It was amazing, the scenery was just spectacular. We got a cd with pictures (and yes, they aren't the most flattering either). I will post them later on (maybe when I get back).

I cannot stay too much longer on the internet now since we are on the move again. Next stop: Lake Taupo then to someone's place that one of the girls know.

Roadtrip Anticipation

It is Sunday morning, Jan. 27 (8:45am). Yesterday, my cousin and her friends arrived in Auckland and we met up at the hostel. This is my first hostel experience and it's a great one. We have a 4-person room all to ourselves and everything is clean. We spent the afternoon planning our trip and our intinerary includes caving, Maori experience, hot springs, whitewater rafting, skydiving...

We decided to leave earlier than originally planned so that we can have more time in the South Island. I've heard that is where most of the cool stuff is. We will be doing some grocery shopping before heading out in about 2 hours. We have rented a van complete with dvd player, beds, camp bbq, cooler, blankets. It's a nice van....a little tight in the back but it's a good thing we're all tiny girls!

Today, we will be going to Rotorua for a Maori experience of hangi, which is a traditional meal that is cooked for hours in the ground. Oooo, I've been looking forward to this since I heard about it!

And so, the adventure begins! Yay!

Chillin' in Auckland

The flight from L.A. to Auckland was long but wonderful. I was lucky to get a window seat although I couldn't see anything because it was dark. Air New Zealand really knows how to treat their passengers. I was impressed with the food and the little extras we got. For dinner, I had seasoned chicken in a nice tomato sauce with some spinach and aubergine (eggplant). Furthermore, I was given a cute little wine glass for my wine! There was a choice of different types of red and white to choose from AND they also came around for refills. We could also have tea or coffee poured into our cute little mug. For breakfast, I had a cheese omelet with a type of hash brown and yummy mushrooms in that awesome tomato sauce again. In between the meals, they came around with water flavoured with real slices of lemon! What a contrast to the bare minimum I received on the previous flight.

Going through customs is a frightening thought when you don't know what to expect! The customs card you get on the plane to fill out was very colourful and detailed (but easy to follow). You are required to declare EVERYTHING or else face a $200NZ fine or possible prosecution and jail time! So if you say you have nothing but they search your bag and find something, you are in big trouble! Going through customs is a 3-step process here and they are quite strict. First, you go through customs and they scan your passport and ask you questions. Then you choose the line of your choice to either declare stuff or not. I declared the snacks I brought with me -- the Biosecurity Officer said what I brought was ok and she checked my hiking boots. Finally, I was directed to the biosecurity x-ray where my bags were scanned. Sounds frightening but it really isn't bad if you are honest. They were also very friendly people, which made the experience better.

It is noon on Friday, Jan 25 in Auckland --- I think it's 7pm on Thursday, Jan 24 in New York. I left NY on Wednesday and arrived in Auckland on a Friday---how weird is that? I am loving it here! The vegetation here is similar to that of California/Florida and the air is so fresh! Do you know what I hear? Silence. Yes, it's nice. I don't even know what that is anymore. Once in a while I'll hear a bird chirping which is nice. The weather is beautiful: sunny and warm (it's summer here). The people I have met along the way have been really friendly too. I've been told that I will not want to leave this paradise...and I think they're right!

Today, I'll be staying with my old roomate and we're going to go see some of the city. It is so nice to see her again. Tomorrow, my cousin from the west coast will be arriving with her friends. I think the last time I saw her was in 2001. I am so excited for our 2 week adventure!

We will be going around the country in a van so I do not know how often I will have access to internet. I'll be in Auckland til at least Monday so that shouldn't be a problem. But after that, I will try to write as often as possible. :)

En route to NZ

Wow-I'm going to the opposite side of the globe! I'm so excited to be going to New Zealand and immersing myself for two weeks in its natural beauty and culture.
When I stepped into the airplane at JFK, I had not slept in 24 hours. I always end up packing the whole night before an early flight-that's the procrastinator in me. My flight departed at 9:30 am for LA where I have an 8 hour layover. The flight to LA was 6 hours and we did not get a meal. Well, I guess I could have purchased a pre-made sandwich for $5 that someone should actually be paying me to eat instead. Anyhow, I planned ahead and bought a "gourmet" tuna salad sandwich (it was okay), bag of rosemary and olive oil chips, and a bottle of water for $12 at the terminal. It was either that or Mickey D's. I cannot wait to get on the next flight heading to Auckland, NZ! Mostly because I'll be flying Air New Zealand and I'll actually get fed! I guess they have to for a 13 hour journey. I wonder if they'll be offering kiwi-type food. I remember when I flew to India, they had given us Indian food, which was pretty good! In fact, they even over-fed us!
Now I have some time to waste at LAX. I have books to keep me busy. And I may even walk around and see what's in the duty-free shop. I'm writing this blog right now the old-fashioned way-with pen and paper. My best friend is gonna transcribe it for me as I dictate. Thanks a lot, Alison! :)
I will write again when I reach Auckland-I should be able to access a computer somewhere. Until then, later gators!