climbing at last!

This weekend was bound to be an adventure! Emily, steve and I decided to go on a climbing trip this weekend to Wharepapa. so the journey started out with the sweetest rental car...haha


so luckily I didn't drive because driving standard is one thing...but driving standard on the left side of the road probabaly would not have ended very well hehe. so we had directions but go lost quite a bit, we learned very quickly that streets are not labeled the best here in New Zealand. so we drove the 2 hours to Wharepapa and got there around 10 pm. we planed to stay at Bryce's a climbing shop that is run by climbers for climbers. sooo the camping is in back of this school house and here was no one capming there... we wandered around and all of the sudden I looked up and saw glowing eyes starting through the darkness! at first then I heard a familiar sound "moooo". it was a field of cows with glowing mutant eyes floating in the pitch blackness. so freaky.

so we set up the tent, passed out and woke up really early to start our climbing adventure! we drove up a long winding dirt road and saw rocks every where amongst the lush green field! the climbing had lots of little pockets!!! it was awesome and absolutely beautiful!





after climbing, We drove to Rotorua and visited Kiwi encountors, a sancutary for breeding an raising kiwi. kiwi have become indangered due to the increase in mamalian predators when the european settlers arrived in the 1800s. They lay the largest egg in proportion to their body size and have terrible eye sight, but a keen sense of smell! they stick their long beak in the dirt and you can hear them snorting in order to get the dirt out of their nostrils.



so we alternate kitchen duty and about once a week I have to prepare means and wash dishes!


look i can cook :-)

Next week I am going to the coromandal penninsula to study estuaries so I will be back monday