St. Patricks, The concert, and the NZ Beer Festival

Hi!

So I know ist been a little while, but that just means more stories to tell!

St. Patricks day was pretty fun. I decided to go out with my RA and her friends. While we were getting ready, she told me that her friends included Miss New Zealand, which is pretty cool. Her name is Natalie, and yeah, she's pretty hot. We all headed over to her place and started to drink...and paint our bodies green. Here's what we looked like:

This is Ace, Alex, Natalie, and I. It was a really fun night. By the end of the night most of the green had rubbed off and we looked pretty awful to say the least. But an awesome night.


Later that week a bunch of us went up to the bass nectar concert in Auckland which was pretty ridiculous. We left school at about 5pm, went to the concert until about 4am, then drove home at 6:30 in the morning to get back for classes. It was a looong night. So when we got there, we went and got some beer, then again painted ourselves. We had also made t shirts, so we looked pretty out there:

The concert its self was pretty sick. Bassnectar was awesome. The entire experience however, was not what I expected. first off, it was at a bar... I was fully expecting some sort of "venue." And he didn't even start until 1am, and we had got there at about 10pm, so we had awhile to wait. Also the people there were not what I expected. this was a rave, and people are grinding? odd. Definitely saw some people straight tripping out though, which was expected. felt pretty rough the next morning for sure!

Then this past weekend I made an extremely spontaneous decision to go to Auckland for the Beer Festival. after the concert, I thought that was enough excitement for me, but everyone was taking trips places, and I found that if I didn't do something, I would be left alone all weekend. So my friend Josh was going up with Jop, some random kid he lives with who is from the Netherlands. Before you know it, his aunt is coming to get us and we're off to Auckland. I barely know Jop, let alone his aunt, but whatever, its something to do. She was a crazy driver, but we got there safe.  we get to their house and its absolutely beautiful. She is crazy hospitable, we each had our own beds, fresh towels, and food. The next morning she drove us into the city for the beer fest. It was awesome. even though it rained all day, the beer was cold and the music was loud, so I was a happy girl. I also have never seen a more eclectic group of people ever. They include-

A scottish guy rocking a kilt

The beer girls

The women dressed at cops? By the way, her shirt says "Nasty Cop." Oh im sure.

This guy

He was my favorite- dresses in Orange and Blue (Tui Beer colors) with a bright red beard. He caught me trying to sneak a photo and insisted I get in it with him

 

 

Haha

Sexy

Even sexier

And last but not least... the loudest people ive ever met.

The bands there were actually quite impressive, definitely knew how to work a drunk crowd. Not that that's hard. Jop caught 3 coozies they threw out into the crowd, so I have a souvenir along with the beer glass everyone gets. From there Jops aunt picked us up and we walked into a roast lamb dinner, which was incredible. words can not even describe. the last time I had lamb I was so little I barely remember it, but rest assured it will become a staple in my diet while im here. After dinner, Jops cousin Christine took us out in Auckland which was really fun. We started at Snap Dragon, which is the greatest bar ive ever been in. Its REALLY classy, and the drinks are incredible and arent too over priced. They also have a huge lounge so you can actually sit somewhere, and a bookshelf that magically opens when you find the right book, just like in the movies. From there we went to provedor, or "provide-a-whore" as the locals call it. definitely a down grade, but everyone needs a little trash in their life, ya know? I was sweating like crazy because it was so hot, but dancing with christine and her friends was a good time. out until 3, crushed a subway footlong, and then passed out. Today was pretty chill, spent some time with christine, had some home made chili, then got driven back.

All in all, awesome weekend!

<3

Climbing Mt. Doom and the Tongariro Crossing!

NZ fun fact- the "happy cows come from California" commercials... are filmed in New Zealand!

So SoundScape. I was going to talk about that in this blog post, but a couple coolers things have happened since, so we'll focus on those. But in a nutshell, it was a CRAZY night where me and 3 other girls had one of the most ridiculous nights here to date. In the rain no less. But anyways, the past few nights were pretty cool too.

Thursday night I went to my friend Will's house, who I met through Ben. It was me and about 6 or 7 others hanging around and drinking. We played their version of Kings- a drinking game we often play in the states. I also encountered my first gay kiwi, who was a blast. Also- his sister went to JMU, which is pretty ridiculous. We bonded pretty much instantly after that. It wasn't a late night, but I was happy to meet more kiwis, which is definitely one of my goals here.

Friday morning we all got up really early to catch the bus. It was about a 5 hour drive, but definitely didn't feel like it. Everything is so scenic here, I don't mind long bus rides one bit. We arrived at our hostel, and as we were driving in we could see the mountain we were going to be climbing the next day. It was a volcano among volcanoes. They definitely picked a perfect Mt. Doom for Lord of the Rings. It has the perfect shape and ominous coloring. Nice job directors.

This guy. When we were driving by I was really started to get nervous. I really am not in that good of shape, and I knew this mountain would easily prove that. But we got to the hostel, set up our tents and tried to sleep. Oh and this sign was outside the hostel which I thought was cute

Each side it was printed in a different language. But the next day, we started the hike. We took a 6am bus to the base of the mountain. Here's what it looked like in the morning:

The first hour and a half or so was like a normal hike. Except for that there was not much flora or fauna. Since it is a volcano, the landscape hasn't fully recovered since the last eruption in the 70's. The women at the hostel stressed the importance of going to the bathroom before you went, because there is literally no cover. Once we got to the mountain the terrain changed dramatically. Going up the actual mountain was tough. Mentally and physically. We climbed up volcanic ash. Pretty much sand and loose rock. You took 2 steps forward and went 1-3 back. getting a grip was pretty tough. A solid rock you could stand on was a godsend. It took about 2 hours up, and about 20 minutes to get down. Going down was the best part, because you could pretty much hop, skip, and slide down with little effort. My friend Zach took a pretty funny video of us sliding down the mountain, and I wipe out at the end. Its on my facebook if you want to check it out!

When we get back down completely exhausted, we realize we still have a few hours ahead of us. about 5 to be exact. And another 3 small mountains to go over. It was rough after climbing the mountain. But along the way was pretty beautiful.

Pretty incredible. Mountains and water in the distance, and walking by the crystal blue hot springs was pretty sweet. They smell strongly of sulfur, but I have been to so many of the pools, I actually enjoy the smell now.


Post hike, was pretty rough. Every single muscle in my body aches and we all have blisters, bruises, and scrapes. But the trip was so worth it!


The trip back was also pretty funny. On the bus my good friend Chris sat next to a woman named "Doom Kitten." you can't make this shit up. She has her harp strapped to the back of the seat, tattoo on her chest, and is a proclaimed gypsy. Chris was texting Ace and I for almost the entire bus ride. Her mother is a ninja, she hates pine trees, thinks cows are the devil, spins fire, and plays the harp, flute, and some sort of guitar. I did not believe Chris until I physically introduced myself to her and almost lost my train of thought. Doom Kitten exists. And she will be in Hamilton, avoiding the next earthquake her friend predicted. Lovely.

Then... We get off the bus in Rotorua to get food. We find an indian place that is next to desolate. We are sitting outside waiting for our food when a little kid not over 4 or 5 comes out. He has a plastic mini cooper in his hand and harassment in his mind. I have never been so close to getting physical with a child in my life. He comes out and starts saying that the table I have my things on is his and not mine. Well I just proclaim that the whole country was mine, and that was a mistake. This child physically drags the table away from us. He then starts telling us about how everything is his and we can't sit there, etc. He then takes his plastic mini cooper and hits me in the face with it. I kid you not. He then tries to take my things and asks if he can cut my bag up. um.. HELL NO. I don't think I have ever been so annoyed with a child in my life. Ace however was a lot less patient. He hit her with it, and she freaks out on him. that however does not stop him. He then decides he doesn't want his car anymore, and forcefully tries to shove it in my crotch. Then our food was done. crazy to say the least.

New Zeland is not ready for someone who can eat like I can

So I've been dying to share some of my thoughts on some of the cultural differences here. It is definitely not the place I'm used to. So here goes.

The food.

As the title might hint, the food situation in New Zealand is not what I'm used to. We have a pizza place down the street from campus, Hell's, is pretty well known and very delicious. The largest size they have is the equivalent of our medium. Maybe. I was sorely disappointed when I first received it. They have NO late night deliveries, or even deliveries at all for that matter, and I have never in my my entire life craved Jimmy Johns more.  Even the campus food. I can get one helping, of one choice. the only way I can get seconds is if I wait until the last 5 minutes of the specified dining time. Its pretty rough. Any one who knows me knows my love for food, and the food has been killing me. I hate that I've (or my dad :)) has already paid for my food. kinda stinks.

The locals.

All of the kiwis I have met go one of 2 ways. The first is kind of a Jersey Shore guido look alike. They all wear skin tight clothing and wear WAY too much cologne and hair product. At bars they are very aggressive. I have had guys come on pretty hard. On the up side, I rarely buy drinks. Another crazy phenomenon that is too popular is the rat tail. One looong piece of hair hanging down the back of a mans head. Usually bleached. I have never been more repulsed by a fashion statement ever. When a guy tells you you're beautiful, I feel bad laughing- however its just hard to take a bleached rat tail, Affliction t-shirt and alligator shoes remotely seriously. The other half are pretty awesome. True daredevils, fun to be around and live a crazier life than we can comprehend. Those are the ones I want to meet. I've also met another girl I really like. Her name is Stacey, and she is in my outdoor leadership class. She is part of a sheep shearing family and lives on a farm. Most of her family members compete in shearing competitions and the one next month she offered to take me to. I am MORE than ecstatic to attend.

The culture.

The biggest difference is the pricing of things. NZ imports about everything, so the prices are way jacked up. Its hard to justify buying shampoo. You also need to pay for plastic forks and knives at the chinese food place down the road, plastic grocery bags, straws, and glasses of water. The entire city shuts down at about 7 pm.  Busses, stores, campus computer labs, everything. It's definitely hard to get used to. If I ever gut frustrated with the culture- this will be the reason. Driving on the other side of the road and car. Freaking weird. Hitchhiking is socially acceptable. All of the greenery. Its incredibly dense for one- if you're driving on a road with trees on either side, it gets surprisingly dark. The mixture of palm trees and pine trees and everything in between is pretty odd, yet allows me to get my fix of living in 2 different places. The people here are quite private. Everyone is very helpful, but never really offers any insight on feelings or anything close to it. Again, for anyone that knows me... that's quite the opposite of my personality. A couple conversations with both Ben and Stacey prove that. I've had both tell me that some things we've discussed they haven't told anyone. And don't think these conversations are crazy- they've included our parents jobs and opinions on day to day things (government, food, teachers). I was flabbergasted when they both told me that these things were not included in normal conversation.

For now that's all I can think of- but I'm sure you'll see some more soon scattered through out my blog.

Next up- SoundScape, the crazy concert in downtown Hamilton

For now i'll leave you with one of my favorite NZ songs ive heard while being here.