January 12, 2008
Ok – So it’s been awhile, I know. I had some computer trouble. Our cabin steward cleaned our carpets without warning and I had my computer under the desk on the floor. He picked it up to clean it, but put the computer back on the wet carpet and it seeped into the computer! It took it a few days to dry out…made me really nervous for a bit! So we’ll see how long it lasts from here!
I went on the Maori excursion where we went into the city of KeriKeri (pronounced KittyKitty) and saw the oldest stone building in New Zealand then it was onto the Manginangina Forest to walk through and show us some native plants to New Zealand and what the Maori’s first came across when going into the Bush. Nothing really other than GIANT trees - second largest tree to the California Redwood. It takes 8 people holding hands to reach around the entire circumference of the largest tree.
Next was the Maori tribal house where the local tribe actually meets. The South Island Maori’s allow people to come in and go through the typical protocol and visit the house, unlike the North Island Maori’s. So, we got to go in and see the inside –it was lined with intricate carvings of their typical faces signifying the sacred lives of ancestors that have been lost and the walls were lined with photographs of all the local tribe’s ancestors. Really neat to listen to them speak their native tongue and see how sacred it truly is to each of the members. I loved it!
Last stop was Waitangi Treaty Grounds where all the treaties were originally signed. There was a HUGE canoe that some of the Maori’s came to the island on. Beautiful property right along the beach!
That night we had a surprise birthday for Arnout, one of our engineers. He’s dating Christina, a cruise staff. Christina bought black lights for the OB (officer’s bar) and she filled alcohol bottles with water and dropped glow sticks in all of them so the room lit up. We all wore white t-shirts and wrote not-the-most-appropriate things on our shirts with highlighters so we all lit up! It was tons of fun! We all enjoyed ourselves thoroughly.
Didn’t get an excursion in Taraunga so I went to the gym in the morning and headed out to walk around the city for a few minutes and hit the most beautiful beach for an hour or so. The sun here is way different than back home, so an hour is a lot. Got a little burned and I had 15 sun block on – but still better then having nothing, right? The beach was beautiful though – neat to see beaches with huge trees growing all around!
My favorite place is now Picton, New Zealand. I didn’t get off the first cruise because I had IPM, but this cruise I walked around for a while. Great little city (reminds me of a town slightly bigger than Ray City, GA) – lots of local crafts and store to see and visit! So I walked around for a few hours and it was wonderful – cold but wonderful!
Today I went on the Taieri Gorge Railway. It was a train that took us through the beautiful scenic parts of Dunedin. This is how I remember New Zealand with the rolling hills and just beautiful scenery! It was a 5 hour trip with lunch, wine and tea and just a wonderful day. We opened the windows and just enjoyed the fresh air. Its times like that when I take a deep breath and remember why I love my life right now! Phenomenal day! You should see the sand spurs that they have here…they are the size of ping pong balls, but they don’t hurt – they’re quite soft and pretty colors. I took a picture if I ever get to post any!
I think that’s all for now – lots to update on, I know! I love hearing from you all so thank you for all the emails! Makes me feel loved J
Hope all is well and everyone’s New Year is going fantastically!
No comments:
Post a Comment