Willowbank Wildlife Preserve

I spent the afternoon at the Willowbank Wildlife Preserve. It is similar to a zoo...but is NOTHING like the zoos we have in Atlanta. It is completely outdoors, and you walk though these amazing natural settings. And everything is hands-on! I fed birds, lamas, pigs, sheep, clydesdale horses, ferrets, eels, and wallabies and I danced with an ostrich, chased a peacock, and was followed by a rooster for a while! The animals just walk right up to you! 

These two were my favorite. They are just like kangaroos-but mini sized. I picked leaves from the tops of the trees that they couldn't reach to feed them. They practically jumped into my lap!

It feels like you are walking through a forest...it is very neat.

I should probably stop posing for the picture and watch what I am doing. The eel had jumped out of the water to get the food I was offering it in my hand. They do bite if you're not careful-but I was lucky! No teeth this time!

Outside the cave.

This is a Kainga, which stands for an unfortified village (in Maori). I crept on my hands and knees into the houses to see what a Maori village might look like.

These were some of the ugliest pigs I have ever seen, but they sure liked the attention and food! They are called Kunekune Pigs. 

All Blacks Rugby New Zealand vs. England

I went to my first Rugby game ever...and it made me miss UGA football SO much! There are a lot of similarities between Rugby and football, but a lot of differences as well. A "try" is the equivalent to a touchdown-except that the player must actually touch the ball to the ground in a try. It is worth 5 points.  The kicker then kicks the rugby ball through the goal posts for 2 points. Rugby is incredibly rough...no padding for these boys!  And there were so many times that I felt like the referees should have called "holding" or penalties on the opposing team-but that's just rugby! To catch the ball when thrown in from the sidelines (similar to soccer) the players would toss one of their team members up into the air so he could catch it. It reminded me of stunts I used to do in cheerleading. Mallary and I also had GREAT seats...third row from the field! We also watched the All Blacks do their traditional war cry, the Haka. They stand opposite from the other team and chant and dance to intimidate them. I heard the NZ and England National Anthem songs (which by the way, England ripped off the tune from USA's "My Country Tis of Thee").  

Good news! We won! 44-12! 

All the bars and cafes show their support for NZ's team on game days! I'm pointing to the famous symbol for the All Blacks and NZ, the silver fern. 

Of course, you always wear all black to an All Blacks Rugby game.

The field had a great fireworks display before the start of the game.  Cannonball shots went off, multiple jets did "fly-overs" over the stadium, and singers and band members were playing on the field. It was quite a show!

The silver fern is the All Blacks symbol, and really the symbol for New Zealand in general. It is seen all over the place.

Dog pile. 

Somewhat blurred, but its the best I could do. This England player is trying to catch a ball mid-air being thrown in from the sideline.

Riding the Tram through the City

Inside the Tram that take a loop around the city, hitting all the highlights. It was really short, but enjoyable all the same. 

Looking down Worcester Street at he front door of the Cathedral. I took this picture from the back of the tram. 

Hanmer Thermal Pools

Here we are at Hanmer Springs in the thermal sulfur pools. It was so cold outside but SO warm in the pools. Very fun!

I was sure to put one of Sadia in the pictures (she is always behind the camera, but not this time!)

This was in the Kids playing area...and was the only pool that was FREEZING! ...Or at least Mallary and I thought so. Sadia and Ruben thought the water was great.

Notice all the steam?

More Hanmer Springs...

This has been nicknamed "Frog Rock" because it looks like a frog.  Can you tell?

My "mum".

Native Kiwi plant called Toitoi (pronounced "toy toy"). I have learned a lot of names of Kiwi plants and birds...in English and Maori (thanks to Fiona's wealth of knowledge on the subject).

Bungy jumping anyone? I am trying to convince Mallary to join me when we go to Queenstown...

Hanmer Springs & 21st Birthday

We stopped at Waikuku Beach on the way home from Hanmer Springs.

What a view!

"Tramping" (aka: hiking) on Dogstream Track

Lookout from Conical Hill. This was a long hike and Fiona was in the best shape out of all of us. Mallary had a really heavy book bag so maybe that was her excuse. I have no excuse..but I made it and that's what really counts.

My first interactions with the sheep! This one loved the tasty flowers I fed it!

I celebrated my 21st at Hanmer Springs. We rented out a house for Saturday night. It was beautiful weather....I almost forgot it was winter! Grandma Gordon made a fruitcake for me for my birthday! I also received wonderful Kiwi presents from my friends-which I didn't expect at all, so that was a great surprise as well. 

Imagine my surprise when this beautiful arrangement was presented to me at school on friday in front of all the staff! Thanks to my Mom, Dad, Nolan, Dixie, and Moo for the birthday wishes. It was a wonderful surprise!

Hanmer Springs is a small town (geared towards tourists, romantic couples, and women retreats for a weekends at the spas with girlfriends) and we ate a picnic lunch along the main strip (behind me). Hanmer Springs sits right at the foot of beautiful mountains and hills and is well known for its thermal pools-which we spent Saturday night in. The thermal pools were natural so they contained sulphur (yes...that is how Kiwis spell sulfur), and I missed Fiona's warning about taking off my jewelry so my silver ring turned black by the end of the night. Lucky me that Fiona had silver polish that I used when we returned home to ChCh. 

Varying Views form my front porch!

Sunset

Sunset

Early Evening

Early morning

Each day brings something new! It's incredible! I wish I had these views back home!

Mt. Cavendish & Gondola Rides

The Gondola.

View of Lyttleton Harbor and surrounding Mountains (not the Southern Alps).

A kiwi snowman.

Looking out towards the Pacific!

On top of the World!

Watching the Sunset!

Jumping for joy!

Sunset over the Southern Alps!

On a surprisingly clear day, Mallary and I felt spontaneous and decided to take a bus out to Lyttleton Harbor to ride the Gondolas up to the top of Mt. Cavendish. At the top, you can see an amazing 30 view of Cashmere, ChCh city, the Pacific, the Southern Alps, and Lyttleton Harbor. The view was so amazing that we decided to stay until sunset-which was well worth our time. 

I wish my camera could have captured the colors better! It was beautiful!