South IslandNZ: August 2007

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Things are still going great for Jesse and I on the other side of the world. We are still making new friends, traveling when we can, and trying to make the most of time here in New Zealand. Weeks go by quickly, and school takes up a lot less time than we had anticipated. We’ve both only had an assignment or two. A few hours of work per week (if any) is keeping us caught up for now. Large group dinners are still keeping everyone fed, and the latest success was our baked mostoccoli. Jesse and I fed 15 people, no problem, for under 30$.

We were able to finally tour the Otago Peninsula on a bus tour set up through the university. Although there was a lack of wildlife, the scenery was breathe-taking, and the coastlines are made up of steep rocky cliffs and caverns that drop right into the sea. The peninsula is a half hour drive from where we live and has numerous hidden beaches that we have yet to explore.

We are still finding new bars and clubs in town, and have been to some shows featuring good local music. The big party nights around here are Thursdays and Saturdays, as most people like to get out of town on the weekends. We are still trying to adjust to the late night attitude (people don’t go out till 1, then stay out till morning), and rely on Kiwi roommates to get the inside tip on where to go.

We just got back from a weekend excursion to the Catlins, which is a national forest reserve that covers most of the coast on the southern tip of the island. We stayed in a quiet little town that was close to waterfalls, great coastal views, and rainforest. We rented out a house with some friends that had cabin feel to it (fireplace, big kitchen, etc.), and had a relaxing weekend in the country. Our first day of the trip we went to Nugget Point, which had a lighthouse and great rock formations, then went on to cannibal beach, to just sit back and listen to the waves coming in. The beaches here are amazing, and so large in scale that you could wander around for hours and still not take the whole thing in. Pictures do not do these landscapes any justice, and the excitement of actually being in the middle of it all sends a tingling sensation down your spine. The next day we set out on a day hike through a rainforest and along the Catlins river. The trees, waterfalls, and vegetation made is seem as though we were hiking through a remote area of the Amazon. Scattered throughout the hike were narrow suspension bridges that had to be negotiated one person at a time , one foot over the other. On the last day of our trip we had to split up, some had to go back to town, and some went to more waterfalls and a blowhole. Jesse was able to see and photograph the rarest penguins in the world, the Yellow-Eyed penguin. There are only 3,000 of these awkward, clumsy creatures on the planet, and Jesse was lucky enough to catch a group of 10-12 of them surfing onto shore.

On Saturday, Aug 4^th, Jesse and I are hosting the 1^st annual Willowbank( Jesse’s apartment complex) Chili Cookoff. We posted flyers and sent out emails to the entire International student population. We are going to have music, games and prizes for the best meat and vegetarian recipes. A lot of internationals/Kiwis do not even know what chili is, so we are looking forward to demonstrating a classic American social event (minus the drunken hillbillies).

Our future plans are all up in the air as things change quickly from week to week. We are in the process of planning a Queenstown/Wanaka trip. That’s where all the bungee jumping and skydiving is at. We have decided that we are going to spend our week break in Akaroa, on the Banks peninsula. We will be kayaking with dolphins and through caves, fishing, hiking, camping, biking, mopeding, possibly doing a farmstay and shearin’ up some sheep, and may even spend the night in a hut in the middle of a penguin colony.

That’s the news for now, everyone please post comments if you like, it’s great to hear from friends and loved ones

- Phil