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!
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Willowbank Wildlife Preserve
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.
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.

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
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?
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
More Hanmer Springs...
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
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.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Varying Views form my front porch!
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!
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