So...It's been awhile

Hi all! 

Sorry it’s been so long since I last updated. Nothing too exciting has happened since then, as I haven’t traveled much since Dunedin. All the traveling finally started to wear on me after I returned from Dunedin. To be perfectly honest, I was getting tired of all the planning, the bus rides, and living out of a backpack. It really hit me when I got sick the week after Dunedin and found myself laying in bed all day for an entire weekend. So I decided to stick around Christchurch for the majority of second term. As a result, I feel like I’ve gotten to explore Christchurch more and get to know some amazing (albeit mostly American) people. I’ve been able to travel around areas Christchurch that I would have never been able to see if I had been traveling as much as I had been. Last weekend, Daniel and I went to an awesome restaurant called Styx and Stones. We ordered two delicious appetizers, one scallop dish and one chicken fingers(I had been craving chicken fingers allll week). Those two dishes were my favorite. For the main course we shared a stone-grill lamb meal. I loved the atmosphere of the restaurants, and all the other dishes that passed us looked equally great. So I guess that means we’ll just have to go back before we come home! 

Within 24 hours this week, I witnessed my first New Zealand snow and earthquake. On Tuesday, it snowed as I headed into my first final, but not enough to stick on the ground. The port hills near Christchurch are now covered in snow, though. On Wednesday, I woke up with a start, as I experienced my first earthquake! Thankfully it was only a 3.5M, but it was still enough to scare me for a few seconds. It was also strong enough to wake many of my friends up (it was at 6:50 am)! Daniel still does not believe me.

Today (Friday), was officially the last day of class. But for me, my classes ended on Tuesday. So I decided to take a short day trip up to Kaikoura, which is about two and a half hours north of Christchurch. I was only there for a day, but I was able to do the Kaikoura Penninsula Walkway, which was a beautiful hike around the peninsula. The weather cooperated with me on my hike, which was important because I wanted to see all the mountains in the background throughout my hike. The mountains were all covered in snow, offering a stunning view of the New Zealand landscape. Also, there were seals. Everywhere. I was actually terrified that I was going to step on one. 

how many seals can you count? 

seal trying to get a sun tan

sheep with snow-capped mountains in the background 

This upcoming week is our official “study week” before finals. Daniel and I will be taking full advantage of this “study week” as we travel around the North Island. Our trip includes a cave rafting tour, a trip to Hobbiton (YES, I did just say Hobbiton), and a hike near Mt. Doom (YES, I did just say Mt. Doom...actually known as the Tongarriro Crossing).

Go Pacers!

Erin 

Weekend in Dunedin

This past weekend a group of us traveled south to Dunedin. Daniel and I took the bus down on Friday and walked around the city until the rest of the group arrived later that night. We all got dinner at a restaurant called the Velvet Burger where I ordered a delicious grilled chicken burger with brie, bacon, and cranberry sauce. 

Saturday morning we woke up bright and early because we wanted to pack as many things in to the day as possible. Thankfully, the weather cooperated much better than we had expected. We took off that morning for the Dunedin Farmer’s Market. I always love walking around farmer’s market and exploring all of the different stalls. There were so many different fruit stands at this market (especially apple stands). Eventually, I decided to buy a lamb wrap for breakfast and then I split a pork dumpling with Daniel. I also bought a few pieces of fruit for the rest of the weekend. 

                                                                      The Dunedin Farmer's Market

From the farmer’s market, we traveled to the Otago Peninsula. This was an absolutely gorgeous drive, and once again I’m reminded of how grateful I am for the wonderful weather we had that day. We drove for about 30 minutes on the peninsula before getting out and walking to Sandfly Bay (thankfully, despite the name, there were no sandflies). We walked, or should I say ran, down a sand dune and ended up at beach. We walked down the beach and found a white seal and 2 very playful (yet still terrifying) sea lions. We walked around the beach for awhile before hiking back up the sand dune. 

                                                                               Pictures of Sandfly Bay

                                                                         Sea Lions at Sandfly Bay

We made one other stop on the Peninsula, where we walked out to the Chasm and Lover’s Leap. Although I enjoyed Sandfly Bay more, the parking lot for these two spots gave us a great lookout over the peninsula. 

                                                                                  View of the Peninsula 

From the peninsula we drove to Baldwin St. which is the steepest residential street in the world. After walking up 270-some steps, we made it to the top. There are houses on this street, but I cannot imagine having to walk or drive up that street everyday. 

                                                                                 Baldwin Street

In the afternoon, we toured the Cadbury Chocolate World Factory. I had been so excited about this, as I always remember receiving Cadbury chocolate eggs on Easter ever since I was little. The tour consisted of receiving small goodie bags of Cadbury Chocolate, watching a short film, walking around the factory, and tasting the most delicious liquid chocolate I have ever tasted. Then, they took us to the retail shop where we all went crazy and bought way too much chocolate. 

Nicole and all of her chocolate 

You might be thinking that our day must have ended there. But it didn’t. From the Cadbury tour we ran over to make a 5 pm tour of the Speight’s Brewery. We learned all about the brewing process and the history of the brewery which I found very interesting. At the end of the tour, our tour guide led us into the bar area where we would be given a tasting of all their beers. After teaching us how to pour the perfect glass of beer, the tour guide said (and I quote) “You have 30 minutes, the bar is yours.” And then he left. We were on the tour with a bunch of Germans, who darted towards the bar. They were having a competition for who could drink the most beers. One of the German women broke the record for how many glasses a woman had drank in that time. She drank 20 glasses. Thankfully (for my mother's sake), we could not keep up with them. 

As I said before, we packed as much as we could into our day in Dunedin. After all of our tours and driving around the peninsula, I feel as if I truly experienced everything in Dunedin that I wanted to. Although it was a busy and tiring weekend, I am glad we squeezed everything in. The next two weeks will be a bit more hectic as I have a few papers due. It is strange that all the schools back home are coming to an end, while I still have 4 more weeks of class followed by a month of finals. Good luck to everyone back home with their finals and graduation!! 

Miss you all,

Erin