Getting Outside Auckland

I have now begun my explorations outside of New Zealand's largest city, Auckland. I love living in this city, but traveling these past 2 weekends has been very exciting. Last weekend, I went to Rotorua where I saw geysers, bubbling mud pools, steaming ground, and sulphuric lakes... I soaked in Polynesian spas... watched the All Blacks (the national rugby team) do the haka and beat South Africa...and in the final hours before the bus ride back to Auckland...I went up a gondola to see a magnificent view... that was pretty much my first adventure out of Auckland. Here are some pictures of my weekend:

On the bus ride to Rotorua I saw another rainbow!

Boiling hot water in the ground... I touched it for some reason... it was really HOT!

These are in a lot of playgrounds here... so much fuN!

Lake Rotorua

This is zorbing. Google it.

So the geothermal active bubbling mud steamy ground in the wind sends whiffs of stink (its sulfur apparently)

Lady Knox geyser

It erupts up to 20 meters every day!

The "champagne pool" in Wai-O-Tapu geothermal wonderland... notice the bright orange edges of the incredibly HOT lake.

Practicing my warrior pose in front of this beautiful view

Where's Waldo? Can you see our shadows??

Rode up the gondola to this incredible view where we sat and read and knitted (I taught Melanie how to knit this weekend) and... I rolled down the hill. I couldn't resist. I also couldn't believe this was a winter day. It was so beautiful! We ran down the mountain just in time to catch our bus back to Auckland for the week!

The next weekend (this past one) a group of nursing students (Becca, Chris, Pip, Melanie and I) took a road trip to Taupo. We stopped half way in Hamilton where Chris' parents live and run an organic farm, which was really beautiful! His dad made us yummmmy hot chocolate (which I really appreciated in the house which seemed to be without heat) and his mom made us a cheese cake to go! We made it to Taupo 2 hours later and the first stop: Huka Falls. Huka means foam in Maori. It was reallly cool. If this is not "white water" I don't know what is:

Mel, Becca, Chris, me, Pip

Huka Falls empties enough water to fill 2 Olympic swimming pools EVERY SINGLE SECOND!

Next stop: Taupo Bungy. So I didn't bungy, but I took my first step towards it. They have this thing called the cliff hanger. It is a swing... where you start hanging over a gorgeous see-through-turquoise-colored river nestled between two cliff walls and when you least expect it they drop you and you free fall 44 meters (144 feet), then arc 180 degrees, then enjoy the swing as it dangles you above the Waikato River. It was really fun. It gave me lots of energy afterwards:

Do you see the blur of Pip and I dropping?

Safe and sound after the cliff hanger. It was so much fun!

I had a lot of energy after that experience.

Then I cheered on Melanie as she did the way braver thing: bungy from the 47 meter platform over the river! It was amazing. I was terrified for her but she said she loved it. I plan to do my own bungy experience with the voucher my friends got me for my bday off the Auckland Bridge. More on that later (once I actually do it).

Melanie flying. crazy huh?

SO then we went to the grocery store and Chris made us an incredible dinner. We needed to carb-load to prep for the half marathon awaiting us the next morning. He made a yummy mushroom pasta and roasted veggies... and cheese cake for dessert!

Chris the chef

Nom nom

Eating our delicious meal while trying to keep warm by the fire

We went to bed early. The 4 girls pulled mattresses in to the living room (above) where the fire was (why doesn't New Zealand have central heating??) and stayed warm til the fire went out in the middle of the night. We woke up early for the race. That was the longest run of my life, literally. I ran for 2 hours, 14 minutes, and 35 seconds... but I did it! I ran 21.1 K! ( I am getting used to the metric system here, which really does make a lot more sense). My first half marathon...

Mizuno sponsored the half marathon. Is that not the biggest shoe you have every seen??

We were pumped for the race! (notice beautiful Lake Taupo in the background)

Post race: half dead, wet, freezing and tired. It rained for more than half the run.

 Now I am sitting in bed... extremely sore... with 2 big blisters on my feet and legs that feel like lead. It think tomorrow will be the worst of it and hopefully start feeling better after that.  I had my first day of clinical today- basically orientation to the ward. I am really looking forward to learn a lot about the heart these next 5 weeks. I will be working both 8 hour and 12 hour shifts- morning, afternoons, and nights... totaling 36-40 hours/ week.  Tomorrow I get to sleep in and work from the "afternoon" from 2:30 to 11pm... getting used to the shift work schedule of nursing!

Time is flying here! I have already been here over a month! It is amazing but I do miss you all at home!!