Monday, April 30, 2007

BUNGY JUMPING?!?

GUESS WHAT???!!!!
YES, YOU GUESSED IT, YOU NOW HAVE A BUNGY JUMPER IN YOUR ACQUAINTANCE!

WHOAH....... IT WAS CRAZY.

So, I'm in Queenstown, NZ - famous for crazy things... and Mark asked me a bit ago if I was
going to bungy jump. "No. Of course not. Too much $, I don't want to."

Really, I was scared. 



Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Pics: NZ, South Island_Climbing Mt.Oxford Jr.


I went w/ the YWAM base - staff and some students - up to the highest peak around
Oxford, our little town... Mt. Oxford! The track wasn't labeled too great, so we ended up on
another peak!! But we had fun anyway!!! Big Lesson: We made it up to one ridge, and stopped
there to read some Psalms, talk to Jesus; and then some of us kept going... on to another ridge...
and then 4 of us kept going to the TOP... each place we saw different views... and it kept getting better and better... The very top one brought us over a ridge that allowed us to see the whole back section of the valley, with huge, towering mountains stretching out to the horizon - and we hadn't been able to see any of these until we got to the top!! So it made me WANT to CLIMB TO THE HEIGHTS WITH JESUS. Whatever that means. I WANT ALL that He has for me/for my life. I don't want to stop on a ridge, just because its comfortable, I want to keep going... and HE GAVE us strength, step by step, to make it to the top... so Jesus, Lead ON!!

The final pics are of our whole team at the end, a cow, a cool hot air balloon one morning, and the beautiful sunset behind the mountains we see from Oxford. Really beautiful.

Monday, April 9, 2007

Pics: NZ, South Island w/ Shaskey's_Castle Hill


South Island Adventures w/ Shaskey's!
My Kiwi Mum, Annette, made me waffles! My favorite breakfast! Not Oatmeal! :)
The Shaskey's have been such a HUGE blessing to me!! Anyone who has traveled knows how WONDERFUL it is to have a 2nd HOME to stay at and be WELCOMED into... wow. So I say, "GOD BLESS THE SHASKEY FAMILY!!" Annette took Daniel and me to Castle Hill... This really cool place where they filmed part of Lord of the Rings...
Lots of really neat Rock Structures that looked like Giants just threw them down!
Daniel Shaskey (age 10) and I (age 28) fought off lots of Orks - the evil, nasty creatures from the Movie... He was the blonde elf w/ his bow, and I was the Lady warrior! Then we stopped by the pie shop on the way home! They have lots of meat pies in NZ! The other 2 pics are of Tammy Shaskey tormenting her younger brother in the river, and me w/ the Kitty, Sophie, at the computer!

Sunday, April 8, 2007

Pics: Oxford, New Zealand (South Island) (4/4-4/14)

Oxford, New Zealand!
(Near Christchurch, & Near YWAM base)
Staying @ the Shaskey's House; Such a great family!!; Easter Sunday w/ Family & Local church... Reminded me of Easter @ my Grandparent's home - on a farm, Easter egg hunt, great food, and family!!; YWAM (Youth With A Mission) Base in Oxford, about a 3 mile walk from Shaskey's house... have been here, updating my blog w/ all these pics! Met some great people - That's Jen in red, leader of snowboarder DTS, Matt from Alaska (letting me use his computer ALL day long to update this blog!!), and another girl from Kansas... White & Red house is the base; then the beautiful Farm/Mountain scenery all around... very peaceful. My 2 little buds - Daniel and cousin Ryan - SO cute! They like to do science projects, and were very happy to hear that I used to be a science teacher!! Last pics are of the Shaskey Family all over for Sat pm dinner before Easter, and then EASTER SUNDAY!!

Pics: Christchurch, New Zealand (4/4-4/5)

Flying from Auckland to Christchurch!Beautiful evening, Date Night w/ Jesus!... Amazing Sunset & Full Moon!!
Annette & Daniel Shaskey (friends of a friend) picked me up @ Christchurch airport,
We went to McD's for dinner! Daniel's choice, but I liked it!; Shaskey's beautiful country home
they built out in Oxford, outside of Christchurch; It's Autumn here - pretty trees!; We went back into Christchurch to visit - saw the Cathedral & modern art; and used a 3rd floor toilet!
Older man in the town square reading Scriptures out loud... I was so proud of him, and knew Jesus was, too! I think he did it every day, and he just wanted to be faithful to speak out the Word of God.

Pics: Auckland 2, Encounter (3/30-4/4)

Back in Auckland, NZ
Encounter Weekend w/ Church... Emma & Cross, Pam & E, all of us girls, Bronwyn & E, Bex & S.Afr friend, Group @ cafe, Corina & E, New Day!, Sophia/Emma/Pam/Kelly's Flat/house (where I lived);
Leaving Auckland... Heading to Christchurch for Easter!

Pics: New Zealand; NIsland (Natn'l Park) (3/27-3/30)

North Island, New Zealand... Road trip to National Park!
Rented a car (cute little white one), drove south to Waitomo Caves, Did a REALLY fun tubing trip in the cave, drove up to visit Emma's parents, drove down & visited a Christian school, arrived in Rotorua - museum, games out on flat field (balls), visited hot pools - very nice!, steamy natural pools (a little stinky, like sulfur), then drove further south to National Park... can see the volcano mountain over Lake Taupo, but actual time there was very rainy/overcast, so didn't get to climb/see the mountains - a little sad, but it was a good day hiking to a waterfall, and next day was beautiful in morning as I drove back to Auckland for church conference; Rainbow over wastelands - God's promise to me of Isaiah 51, restore the wastelands in my life!! Praise to HIM!
Final pic is of sheep crossing!! about 500-million sheep (maybe just 500) crossing road!

Pics: New Zealand, N.Island (Bay of Islands, Cape Reinga) (3/19-3/21)

New Zealand, North Island!
Trip up to Bay of Islands & Cape Reinga...
Took a tour w/ Stray Company, Met lots of great people - Mostly British!!, Saw sheep, Huge Trees (like Calif Redwoods, only they're not red), BEAUTIFUL GREEN GRASS and blue skies, Petted a REAL KIWI (bird of NZ)!!, 2 good friends - Roena & Andrea from UK, 1st Co-Ed Hostel!! all of my new Brit friends :), Beautiful Bay, Showing how BIG the base of those trees are, our 4 wheel drive dune bus!! (it got a flat tire:), Up at Cape Reinga (northern-most tip of NZ), Lighthouse, and Crashing of the 2 seas - Tasman & Pacific - you can see the waves forming as a result; the sand dunes we surfed down, 90 Mile (really 63) Beach, new friend, coastline, christian fish symbol, bay where we ate Famous Fish & Chips!,
Getting ready to go out to SEE the DOLPHINS!, There they are!!, My friend Roena,

A HUGE dolphin fin (just kidding, a rock), and some interesting tree & sunset!!
3 Day Whirlwind of Adventure!

Pics: Flying to Auckland, NZ (3/10-4/4)

Flying to Auckland, New Zealand!


Saturday, March 10, 2007; My 1st Official flight w/ Around the World Ticket; Santiago to Auckland; Sophia Glomb (friend of a friend) picked me up at the airport @ 4:15 AM! on Monday (I missed Sunday b/c of Intn'l DateLine!); Hung out w/ her & a friend on Monday, went to prayer mtg that night, met some new friends, had a girl's night (fun!); went to church w/ them (firey!); Notice steering wheel is on the RIGHT! Quite a change! Auckland is famous for its SkyTower... that pointy needle thing! Auckland was a place of meeting with God, taking some time out of my TRAVELING and spent JUST BEING with GOD. He showed me a lot of really great verses about FREEDOM... Hebrews 2:14,15; Isaiah 52, 55, 45, 43, 42, 27;
Exodus 13-15)

Friday, April 6, 2007

Who is Jesus? And how does that affect me?

Who was He?
What did He teach?
Why did He suffer/die?
Raise from the dead?
What does it have to do with me?













Pictures from Google Images:
www.divinity.duke.edu, www.aboutfilm.com, www.msnbc.msn.com, www.cnn.com,
www.breadonthewaters.com, www.cs.utk.edu



Road Trip: North Island NZ (Glow stuff, Free stuff, rain stuff)

Adventure to Waitomo Caves, Rotorura, and the National Park











All Pics came from Google Images: Caving Pics: www.adventuretours.net.nz (glow worms & black water rafting!)

Rotorua Pics: www.travelindex.co.nz (steam), www.britannica.com (Maori stuff)

Tongariro Crossing Pics: www.motorhomehire.co.nz (what I didn't see) :)




Back in Auckland

So, after I got back to Auckland from my 1st Adventure Up North, I hung out with my new friends for a bit - 4 wonderful, beautiful, lovers-of-Jesus girls: Sophia (my 1st host, who picked me up at the airport REALLY early in the morning!), Pam (my North American friend from Canada :)), Emma (my born-kiwi friend), and Kelly (a true Maori girl - the original Kiwi's!, Polynesian descent)...

Great times in church, learning a lot, seeing a lot, wondering a lot; bottom-line, wanting to get closer to Jesus and His ways. (I may blog more about these thoughts/experiences later.)


Then I got ready to go on my next adventure... renting a car and driving Kiwi-style to the National Park!


Renting A Car
Renting a car is quite an experience. No, I guess its the driving that is. The rental part was fine - I got the cheapest deal, a guy said he would match anything, so I got it $10/day lower than the going rate! Then I get there and try to ask all the right questions, like are the tires all filled, liquid levels up, any hidden things in the insurance policy... I'm trying to be a responsible girl traveler! :) So I get in my cute little white car, that looks like a little Honda with its back chopped off to make it even smaller. And, for those of you who don't know, New Zealand drives on the LEFT side of the road. That would be opposite of everything I've ever grown up with. So you get in on the RIGHT side of the car; which is REALLY weird. Where I've always known the steering wheel to be, my whole life, is now just a flat panel!! With a glove compartment under it. And where the flat panel is in my "normal car experience" is the STEERING WHEEL. So I get into the PASSENGER side to drive, and the driver's side to be a passenger. Weird. Now, try driving. You reach to your right to get the gear shift... and find that your hand is hitting the door. The gear shift is still in the middle of the car, on the floor, but you now have to reach with your left hand to get it. You want to turn on the turn signal, and the windshield wipers come on!! How do you get those things off? Then you try to pull forward, praying the whole time (being me), and need to make your first right hand turn into traffic. Watch out. This one is scary. In America, (like it seems I am forever saying, because that is my "normal") we pull quickly in a right turn, going right into traffic. In New Zealand, a right hand turn could be your death. You are pulling ACROSS traffic (like our left-hand turns are in the States); so I ended up looking a zillion times back and forth to make sure I wouldn't be paying the $750 deductible for the car insurance. I did not get hit once. I was very thankful. I actually was turning right 2 times during my little road trip and, without thinking, just naturally pulled a quick right... and found myself going head-on into traffic. Thankfully, they had a stoplight, and several kind people were able to blare their horns at me to remind me that I wasn't in America. Ahh!


Black Water Rafting (really tubing) - in Waitomo Caves
I would highly recommend this activity for all ages, unless you are really old or really young. But I think everyone else would love it. Its named Black Water, because you can't really see it, because you're in a CAVE. Its really nice. We got these great black wet suits (they were very wet and smelled like rental boots at a ski shop - really mildewy... :) white duck boots (duck boots are like rubber galoshes, or rubber boots that go up to your knees) and a helmet... we looked like characters from a sci-fi film tromping across the scene of Lord of the Rings Hobbit-Land to get to our entrance of the cave. It was funny. We climbed down into this tiny hole on a metal ladder, and I knew I was going to have a good time. It was already an adventure. I grew up going to the Children's Museum in Indianapolis, and it is quite famous. One of my favorite exhibits (and I had a lot) was the cave - it was like one big play ground!!! I think they were trying to teach us about limestone or something, I don't remember, all I remember was scurrying around, hiding behind big pillars of rock, ducking under here, climbing over there, squeezing in and out of places... SO COOL. So here was my grown-up version, right before my eyes!! We steeped down into cold water (black water... it was actually clear, but we're in a cave remember) and I was really glad to have my white rubber boots on and mildewy wet suit socks. We had head lamps on our helmets, but that actually got kind of annoying, because when I breathed, vapor would come come, because of my hot breath! and the cold air of the cave (go science!!), and then I couldn't see very clearly... b/c I was breathing, which I couldn't quite help... so I turned my light off and just followed the light of the person in front. I only got in trouble a few times for not having it on.
The guides were HILARIOUS. They were really good and really funny. They told funny stories, tried to scare us multiple times, made HUGE not-necessary splashes in the water, and it felt like a big youth group canoe trip... lots of fun. One of the guides found out I was LOVING the cave adventure and so he pointed out different little side routes I could creep through on my belly... or crawl over there so I could see something really neat... or check out this eel in the water... I'm not kidding, there really was an eel. It wasn't the electric kind, but it still looked scary... I touched it though, it was really slimy and gushy. (They're the long fishy things that look like really fat snakes in the water... there were some on the Little Mermaid.)
The most amazing thing was the GLOW WORMS. Wow. This was cool. They're really larva of some time of maggot... and I guess the story is they don't have the "out" end of a digestive system, so instead of getting all stopped up, they have a chemical they release in their belly that breaks down the food and light is given off in the process; so we were really seeing glowing waste. hmmm. nice thought. But that aside, it really was beautiful. Our one long tube ride (the 4 hour trip alternated between walking, crawling, swimming, wading, belly scooching, and tubing - laying on a fat inner tube and floating down the black water); it was like we were in VENICE, ITALY (that's what I thought), floating along in our boats, looking up at the stars in the night sky... the glow worms were little pinpoints of greenish-gold light up on the cave ceiling about 10-20 feet above our heads... and there were THOUSANDS of these little beautiful pinpoints of light; looked like constellations or the Milk way across the cave roof. I loved it. It was my date night with Jesus. :)


That night, I followed some new friends, driving 100-miles-an-hour, really 100 km/hr, which I think (come on, science teacher!) is 0.6 times miles/hr... so about 1/2 plus 10%... so 50 + 10 = 60 miles/hr... but it SEEMED like 100 mph! We were zooming, but I had to stay up with them, because I didn't know my way to this Bay, where I was staying that night. I was praying the whole time, and being REALLY focused. The only good thing was I didn't have to worry about deer. In Colorado, where I had just come from for the past 4 months, there were deer EVERYWHERE at night, and they really liked to run out and get hit by your car... which is not like a video game, where you may just plow them over and keep going, but you could really ruin your car and get hurt. But its not like that here in New Zealand. Their deer stay in the woods, I guess. It helped take a load off my shoulders - I just had to focus on staying to the LEFT. I spent the night at Emma's parents - beautiful people, and to their credit, here's how the conversation went... I was originally planning on being up there 2 days later, so Emma hadn't had a chance to call them yet... I call the number, her dad answers, I introduce myself, and ask if it would be Ok to spend the night there, feeling a bit stupid... but, to his credit and my great relief! he said, "any friend of Emma's is a friend of ours! Come on up!" Wow. That was really nice. He called Emma later, to verify that it was true and I wasn't some con artist swindler. But still, very impressive. It made me want to say that later in life... any friend of my kid is a friend of ours! Like God, maybe... any friend of my Son is a friend of Mine! So I get there 2 hours later, visit for a bit, take a nice hot shower, and go to bed. Thank you, Jesus, for friends!!


The next day it was overcast, and I was supposed to go around and see some beautiful bay and mountain, but her parents suggested, b/c of the weather and traffic, just head down to Rotorura, my next destination. By this 2nd day of driving, I was getting a bit better... didn't feel quite so weird to be sitting in the passenger seat, driving. I made it down to Rotorura, famous for hot, smelly things... like geysers, bubbling mud-pots, hot baths (smelly like sulfur, or stinky eggs). It reminded me of Yellowstone. They also had a world-famous sheep-sheering show (that's a nice phrase, try it 5 times fast!)... And a lot of Maori things (the original people... like our Native Indians; customs, food, traditional villages, etc.) None of these "official toursity things" I went to. All cost different amounts of $, and I figured I would spend mine on other things... so instead I found FREE alternatives for all of these. I saw some free sheep (I mean, they were just standing there, I didn't have to pay anything to see them), I went to a museum that cost some money, but I stayed outside in the FREE lobby and looked at the FREE displays and pictures in the NZ tourist books... and saw some cool Maori stuff that way (and Kelly, my official Maori friend, made some awesome Maori bread, so I felt very Maori-educated! Interesting side note, when you say, Maori, officially, with the right accent, it sounds a bit like "moldy" to me... so when I first heard Kelly say she was going to make some moldy bread, I wasn't interested. But then I found out it was Maori. Oh. And it was good; it was like sweet white bread; and it wasn't moldy.) And finally, God helped me find a FREE park, with a FREE steam bath that I got to soak my feet in for FREE. I was really impressed with Him. And as I was walking around the park, I got to see a lot of steamy ponds and some mud pits, so I felt like I got to see the hot stuff of Rotorura, for FREE (plus, I had been to Yellowstone, so I had an idea of what all the money exhibits would look like... I love it when people charge you to see what GOD made... crazy. Maybe its because they made a gift shop next to it.) Anyway, I was really happy with my FREE-day Rotorura experience.


Another 2 cool things of that day in Rotorura - I got to watch some grandparent-aged people play croquet and a game called Balls... both on these amazingly flat and groomed fields. They were official. And the nice people let me try! I wasn't very good. They whooped me. But it was fun! Cool thing #2 - I was feeling a bit down... traveling, tired of traveling, being by myself, just going around, seeing more things... so I decided to call, on my International Roaming Quad Band Phone (whoah), my GRANDMA and GRANDPA SMILEY and then later my MOM!!! It was so good to talk to them. Ahhhh. Nothing like a good phone call home.


I love my grandparents. And my mom. :) :) :)


Cool thing was, it was about 2:30 in the afternoon in NZ on Wed, and it was 9:30 pm in IN/IL, where they live, the NIGHT BEFORE. crazy.
Before leaving Rotorura, I bought some groceries for my coming camping trip in the National Park.


National Park
So there's this really cool park in the North Island, that is famous for its volcanoes. I guess there are about 4 big peaks in this park, and one is a really good-looking conical opening spout, and they are really tall. Maybe like in Colorado. Anyway, there's also this famous one-day "tramp" (New Zealander's call it "tramping" and we call it backpacking or hiking) called the "Tongiraro Crossing" (I hope I spelled that right) that is supposedly the most beautiful one-day hike in all of New Zealand (emerald green lakes, lava fields, dramatic mountains and volcano peaks - Mt. Gloom, or something like that, from Lord of the Rings is one of these mountains). Its suppose to be a workout of a hike, but I figured I could handle it, coming from living with the BMW (beautiful mountain women) from Gunnison, Colorado! :) So I drove down there in my little cute car, and set up my tent to wait for the morning. The next day was solid cloud. And wind. And rain. Ugh. The Crossing was closed that day due to the weather... the shuttles that you have to take were not running. Ugh. So I hiked to a waterfall instead. It was pretty.
And I had a nice time with Jesus. We talked quite a bit. And I had an idea. Many backpackers do a lot of reading on their journeys, and they trade books with each other, and there are even stations in the hostels that have books to exchange. I bet a lot of people would be willing to read some part of the Bible if it was in a smaller version - more condensed, maybe like the Gospels, or the New Testament, or maybe 5 main books, or pull-outs from different parts (some would be interested in reading the whole thing, but I'm thinking more for most people who may want more bite-size chunks at first)... and have it in different covers - plain, army-style, crazy, whatever, to attract people to it. Then they could read it while they're traveling and maybe start to think about Jesus, who He was/is, what He did, and how that affects me. Hmmm. I know people will find a Bible if they're really looking, but what if they're out there, more accessible, like what the Gideon's did in all the main hotels of the US? Hmmm.
God bring it, enable it, if this is an idea from You.


I spent one more night in the National Park - for $4, and set up camp in the rain. I met some cool people from Czech republic, Hannah and friend, and another guy from France. We asked God to clear up the weather for the next day, my last day to see these volcanoes, and I hadn't seen them yet (only one from the distance the day before).


The next morning was GORGEOUS. I thanked God for pushing away the clouds... it was amazing. BRIGHT sunshine, glorious blue sky, fresh air... and the weather forecast had been HEAVY overcast and rain for the next 3 days. My God is AWESOME. I drove around the other side of the National Park on the way back to Auckland, and saw some beautiful country-side, and some more sheep. The mountains were still covered in clouds, but these clouds looked like what I imagine Moses and the Israelites saw when God covered Mount Sinai in clouds... swirling things, white/grey, Beautiful. As I drove further north, the clouds came back in (but after a beautiful morning of CLEAR), and at one point there was mist happening and sun up ahead... and behind me, in my rear-view mirror (on the right had side!) was a glorious RAINBOW. wow. That thing was impressive. All the colors, in all their glory. Sign of God's promise. I got out and got quite a few pictures. And the Lord brought Isaiah 51 (vs 1-16) to my mind... a verse He showed me the night before. It was about God restoring your wastelands and desert places; and why do we fear man and their insults? And this was a rainbow over a desert-waste-looking land... so to me, it was God's promise that He was going to accomplish that restoration and delivery of fear of men from my heart. Amen. Do it, God.


The rest of the drive back to Auckland had some more adventures, and maybe I'll write about them later.


Headed Back to Auckland for a Women's Retreat Conference that weekend w/ my new friends!

Thursday, April 5, 2007

New Zealand! Auckland, Bay of Islands, Cape Reinga

New Zealand! North Island Adventures.



Images from: Google Image Search

Auckland Skyline:
Cape Reinga Light House:
Cape Reinga Beach:


We're back on!
I've been away from blogging for about 3 or so weeks, but my time here in New Zealand has been really good...
Here are some highlights:

1. Arrived on March 12, Monday; a new friend, Sophia, (friend of a friend I met in Denver, CO), picked me up at the airport when I arrived... it was really early, so a sacrifice for her! Thank you, Jesus, for her gift of love to you and to me. Interesting thing: I missed Sunday!!! New Zealand is just west of the International Date Line, so we are one day ahead of everyone in the States and South America... and we are the first country (I think) to change to the new day.
The way you can calculate the time here... for Indiana people: count forward 4 hours, and then move it to the next day/opposite of what you are... For example: if its 6pm in IN, 4 hours forward is 10 pm; then move it forward to the next day, 12 hours; so its 10 A.M. in New Zealand. Crazy, huh?

2. Spent 1st week laying low; Felt like the Lord wanted me to spend some time with Him, rather than just get going on traveling and seeing the island. Ok... so I spent the week talking to Him, going on walks, reading the Bible... and it was really cool. God kept on bringing scripture passages to my mind, maybe 1 or 2 a day; and I didn't know what they were... Like I would think of Isaiah 51, or Isaiah 52, or 43, or whatever it was... I wasn't sure if it was me, or if it was God putting the thought in my mind, so I would look it up, and EVERY time it was or appeared to be a word from Him, concerning what I was talking to Him about that day. It was really amazing, a gift; I couldn't conjure it up, He just put something on my mind, and sometimes it would be when I asked Him for a word from Him. [I hope to write about what He showed me through those passages, so we'll see. But it really became His Word, alive and active and applicible to me, not just words for the past, for other people... but for me, from Him.]

3. 2nd week I paid for a tour up to the Bay of Islands and Cape Reinga, which is up on the northernmost tip of the North Island of New Zealand. It was very beautiful. The Bay of Islands is an area with lots of islands (amazing, huh?) and it is really gorgeous. One of my British friends paid for para-sailing (I think that's what you call it... hooked into a big kite thing that goes behind a boat and you go up REALLY high in the air; like mountain climbing, only easier!) and she highly recommends it. (I chose to take a boat ride to see the dolphins instead, story below.)
On the drive up to the Bay of Islands, I took my 1st tour with a BackPacker's group, called Stray. They drive a bunch of backpackers up in a van to a certain destination, and there are stops along the way. We stopped by to see a HUMONGOUS tree, something like a Kia tree? (about 6-7 people could reach around the base of these trees' trunks... they were like the redwoods of California, only not red. Kind of grey and olive greenish flakes. The wood won't rot on it, because its so dense, so they were harvested a lot for ship masts back in the day. Now they are a protected tree, because there aren't a whole lot left, and they take SO LONG to grow.)
Another stop was at a bird restoration place, and we got to see 1) a talking bird who asked "you want a beer?" "Let's go swimming" and other ridiculous things. It was really funny. Like watching Mr. Ed, the horse, talk - his mouth would move, and talking would come out, but it didn't look like it matched. And supposedly, this bird is not supposed to talk. Its not like it was a parrot or something. It was like a normal bird, supposed to tweet, and it was talking. Amazing. I guess people come from all over to see the thing. :) We also got to see a REAL LIVE KIWI. Not the fruit, or the people (name for new zealander's); but the fuzzy brown, strange-looking bird with a long, narrow, straw-like beak, that lets it suck up bugs. And I got to pet it. In China (when I was there during the summer one year in college), we had to pay $85 to hold a panda. Here, I got to pet a Kiwi for FREE!!! Thank you, New Zealand Bird Restoration Place! It helped me feel better about all the other travel expenses. :)
My Co-Ed Hostel
I stayed at my 1st hostel of the entire trip on this excursion up north! It was quite interesting. We checked in, paid $24 per night (which I thought was quite high, for a bunk in a room! Avg hostels in Australia/NZ are $20), and then walked to my room. I was staying with one of the girls I met on the bus ride up, she was from England. I got to my room and found out it was co-ed (6 bunk beds, a small kitchen, and small bathroom)!!! whoah. I guess I just thought they would put guys with guys and girls with girls... but no. So we were 2 girls in a room with 10 other guys, all from England, ages ranging from 18 to late 20's. It was like coming to a college dorm room, and finding that you share a room with guys. It was fine, all of the guys were polite and didn't act inappropriately, but it was funny... smells, sounds, and sights of staying with guys; I told myself, I have 3 brothers, I slept in a tent growing up with 6 guys - my brothers and cousins, and this would be no different. My friend and I did our changing in the bathroom, and made sure we locked the door, but it turned out to be fine. :) The party scene is pretty strong among backpackers - drinking 'til all hours of the night, the whole guy/girl scene, and a lot of conversations about how much I drank, what exploits I've done, and where I've been traveling... fun, fun, fun... seems to be the glasses that people where. As long as you're having fun. Which is good, fun is good, but sometimes it seems so shallow and fleeting.
I had some real good conversations with some of my British friends... they asked me if I was religious, and I told them I just loved Jesus. We got to talk about a lot of things around that topic. There were other people that I thought about talking to, but I didn't... and was frustrated about it later; what am I worried about? People rejecting me? God help me be the aroma of You and to be willing and able to share with whomever You want me to share with. I did meet a girl from Denmark, Anna, and we became friends a bit, and before I left I asked if I could pray for her - a blessing from God. She received it quite well, and I was thankful that the Lord helped me to say it. Every time there is always a question... do I share or not share? God help me follow You. I feel so weak sometimes and that I don't follow Your leads to talk with someone or say something or speak up when I think I should. Help me.
Cape Reinga
I paid a bit extra for the further trip up to the very tip of the North Island, but it was worth it.
We rode in a dune-buggy-4-wheel-drive bus from our hostel the next morning... pretty cool, 4WD bus. Never seen one of those before. High wheels, big wheels, 30 passenger.
We drove past the Bay with a beautiful morning sun, streaming down in rays through the clouds. The country-side was filled with green rolling hills, some pine and other tree specimens, and some sheep. I guess New Zealand is known for its sheep. They're kind of cool. Just white confetti dots sprinkled across a really green green field. Peaceful. The colors of all of New Zealand are really amazing - everything seems a bit sharper, like the blues of the sky (like a Colorado sky), or the greens of the grass, or the golds of the fields... wow.
Along the way we got a flat tire. Kind of funny, actually. Our big, bad 4WD bus with a flat. :)
We stopped for about 45 minutes for the guys to fix it (I appreciate guys). And it gave us all a chance to get out and really enjoy the country-side. My first time in New Zealand farmland. Beautiful. Lots of cows, too. I liked our stop and the fresh air. Sometimes zooming by in a bus can get blah... you just get numb to it all, b/c you're zooming by, not really soaking it all in.
We stopped by a forest of the BIG trees, and there was a funny story... the gov't had paid an amazing amount of $ for walk-ways and rails to be put in one section of it... the Queen of England was coming! The huge motor-brigade arrived and the Queen got out, walked to edge of the section where there was a look-out point, and then got back in her car and they drove off again. No one said anything, but Uhhh! All that time and money and she didn't even walk down into the forest. I don't think she realized it. But we got to walk down into it, and it was very nice. Reminded me a bit of Disney world. Beautiful walk-ways to see some exihibit... and there were millions of tourists from various bus companies... well, maybe only 100. Old people, young people, all kinds of people, herded around on this walk-way. But we had fun. I was taking some videos with my camera and we made it "interactive". :)
After lots more driving, we made it up to CAPE REINGA. It was probably my favorite spot of the whole trip. I could have spent the whole day there. But, b/c we were on a tour, we had "about a half-an-hour". What?! Looking back, I should have spoken up, and requested that we stay longer; but it was my 1st-time-tour, so I didn't know what I could ask for and what I couldn't.
It was so cool (2 pics up at top are from there). There was a large hill-like mountain with grass on it, that jutted out into the sea, and we could climb to the top of it (not too far from where our bus parked). From that point, we could stand in the wind (there was a nice breeze), and look to our left, and down below, there was a beach/cove that made a huge sweeping curve out into the Tasman Sea, which was a very deep tourquoise blue/green. (see picture above - Beautiful! It was almost this clear the day we went, which was a real gift from God... the day before and earlier that week, during my "lay low" time, it was rainy and cloudy and not good weather.) Then, straight out in front of me, was the place in the ocean where the Tasman Sea hit the Pacific Ocean... It was quite dramatic. You could see the deep turquoise blue hitting the darker blue of the Pacific, and at that point, the waves came up on the surface, causing these hash-marks of waves... kind of like 2 big ocean-powers fighting! Then to the right, there was another stretch of land going out into the sea, and a lighthouse was built on it. It was really pretty, and served as a guide to ships to not hit the dangerous rocks below.
Sand Surfing
Later that day, we surfed down some really tall sand-dunes with a boogy board... it was really pretty there, gorgeous golden sand, really fine grains, these wavy formations in the sand from the wind, like you see in pictures of deserts; and beautiful blue skies. The hike up was really steep, and had to rest a few times along the way, and then the tour guides helped hold the board while you laid on your stomach (they wouldn't let you try to stand)... and looked down a really steep slope... then they gave you a push, and you worked really hard to keep your elbows in and your feet up... while you zoomed down the sand. Then at the bottom, you were glad you didn't get hurt, and quickly had to roll off and get up to get out of the way of the next guy coming down. I did it 3 times. I think what I liked most, however, was just the view from the top, and getting to spend time with Jesus up there - He made some cool places.
90-Mile Beach
Next, we drove down a beach that was really 64 miles long, but the natives thought it was 90, so that's its name. It was still really long. I guess they run some races there, in memory of a native boy (Maori are the native people, Polynesian in ancestry) who was said to have run for huge stretches of the beach, I think 40 miles, to run an errand for his mom. I don't think I would want to run it. We looked for some wild horses along the way, and didn't see any... The whole beach was really pretty - flat whitish/gold sand, light blue water, and then really sunny and beautiful blue skies.
Fish & Chips
This is a pretty popular fare here, and we tried it on the way back to our hostel. I guess the Australians tease the New Zealander's for their accent (which I think is kind of funny, b/c Aussie's have an accent, too!! and so do American's, to everyone else!)... and they say the Kiwi's (that's what NZ people are generally called, its not derogatory) call it "Fush and Chups"... Anyway, the fush and chups were really good, I even tried oyster and mussel and clam - although I think I'll just stick w/ the fush next time. The chips are just french fries, but a little thicker - like fried potato wedges.
Swimming with Dolphins
Someone please give this a different name. False advertising. Very fun experience non-the-less, but gets your hopes up when they know there's a good chance you're not going to swim with them. So we pay $95 New Zealand (which you multiply by 0.7 to get U.S. - which is 1/2 plus two 10%, so 50 plus 20, about $70 US) and take a 4 hour boat ride with 40 other people, all REALLY wanting to swim with the dolphins. I mean, how cool is that? It was a beautiful day; the greens in New Zealand are really green... like an emerald, the grass almost sparkles. And the sky was really blue, so it was so nice to be out on a boat. About 1 hour into the trip, another boat radio'ed over to say they spotted a pod of dolphins, so we headed that way. And there they were... zooming alongside our boat, keeping up with us!!!! Seeing their bodies glisten under the water, their spout (air hole on top), dorsal fin, and their grin on their faces - beautiful big creatures!!! And they played with us!! Swimming along side, then up for a jump, then off again... then three would come close to the top, and you watch them in perfect harmony of motion, weaving their way in the water, like a butterfly swimmer, but even more graceful. Then, joy of all, 3 of them decided to take a flying leap out of the water!!!! To play!!! So care free, so beautiful, so free. We kept on taking a million pictures - but only a few of them were any good. :) The beauty of digital. There was a little baby (maybe about 4 feet long; the parents were about 10 feet long!) so that's why we couldn't swim with them. New Zealand has a law that says you can't swim with baby dolphins to help protect them. Which is fine, but seeing as how there is only one or two main pods in the Bay area, I think they need to say "Watching the Dolphins, and today, there is a 10% chance that you will swim with them." Especially if they know that the pods have a baby - they go out every day with tourists. Oh well. But it was a REALLY wonderful experience. And I'm so thankful we got to see such a large pod (about 15-20) of really playful dolphins!!!
We headed back to Auckland on Wednesday - a fun-filled, 3-day Adventure!! My 1st official one in New Zealand.

Pics: Valdivia, Chile

Southern Chile: Valdivia

(Great visit w/ Kristin (new friend - went to IN Wesleyan),
Horticulture Park (w/ Tulip Tree - IN state tree!),
Beautiful River, Freshmen in College Getting "Welcomed",
New Friends, Train Ride back to Santiago)

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Pics: Temuco, Chile (Pastor H.) (3/6)

Temuco, Chile w/ Pastor Henry's Family!

Bus down from Pucon, picked up by Pastor Henry's family, Stayed w/ them - pray for his back (disk out of place), went with boys & daughter to visit Indian people - taught Bible lesson of Noah in school, played games, ate lunch at nice lady's home, used the Out House!, witnessed the pre-execution of a chicken, visited their church & prayer meeting... Great day w/ eveyone!

Pics: Pucon, Chile (volcano) (3/5)

Pucon, Chile... Volcano Land!

Rode a bus down from Santiago... joined up w/ a big group of Canadian student backpackers... Took a walk up to a cemetary overlooking the city, spent a few hours relaxing by lake, wonderful view of the Volcano!, Rested @ a nice lady's hostel and drank some famous NecTAR :), Took a HORSE ride up into the mountains w/ some French and S.Americans, Saw a beautiful waterfall, and then headed on bus to Temuco!