Franz Josef glacier hike picture overdose!

Hello from a very tired and content little glacier hiker! As the title suggests, prepare yourself for a picture overdose from today's hike. It was beautiful, tiring, cold, wet, breathtaking, and absolutely worth the $130 NZ I spent on it. Worth. Every. Penny. Here are some picture highlights (I took about 250 pictures on the glacier today, so I've obviously chosen just a few):

Just thought mom would appreciate this one. Haha.

Our guide, Rob, briefing us before we head off on our hike.

Maddie and me in black and white.

Some of the steeper or more dangerous areas had ropes that we had to hang on to for balance and/or support (I took this one at the spot just before I had to grab the rope - no worries, I wasn't being careless!).

Halfway through our hike, we got to a place where we could choose whether or not we wanted to use an ice pick for the rest of the hike. Many of us decided against it, but we had to pose for pictures anyway!

Liam managed to cut both of his knees on the ice... you'd be amazed at how sharp that stuff is! I cut my leg and my finger too - everyone was bleeding. Haha.

Maddie took this picture of me pretending to hike a steep incline. She forgot to put the camera on an angle, so it's pretty clear that I was just laying down on the ice. What a nut!

This is what it was supposed to look like! Lewis helps to pull Sarah to safety.

Trekking across a flatter part of the glacier.

Lewis and I stopped for a photo op in one of many crevaces.

Here is where I'm saying "How the heck am I supposed to get up here?!" (The steps seem a lot less steep in this picture, but climbing up here with legs as short as mine was a challenge!)

Liam strikes an epic cliffhanger pose.

Some of the crevaces that we had to climb through were quite tight. Rob forges the way, while Sarah looks a bit hesitant (we all made it through, but we were all soaked!).

(Semi-)Group shot!

Rob (aka Jafa - "Just another f****** Aucklander," although he swears it stands for "Just another friendly Aucklander," haha) and friends hack away at the ice so that it falls on Ben and Scott below. These guys are all about helping each other out, let me tell you.

One of the steeper crevaces that we had to manouever through (the camera doesn't do it justice).

James made it through the tiny cave!!!! Well done, bro!

Group 1 forges ahead on the way back down the glacier while Group 2 waits for everyone else to catch up.

Mom, this is the picture I was talking about.... I took it just for you!!!! I promised I wouldn't fall into a glacial crevace, and I didn't, but I had to take this picture just to freak you out a little. You're welcome.

Yep, that's a bit of a tight fit!

One of my favourite parts of the glacier.

Hiking through the "wave" formations, on the way back down the glacier.

Almost at the bottom.

On the way back to the hostel after a long and tiring day of hiking, I had to stop to pose with Cowan Street (for my roommate, Scott Cowan). I miss him, but at least I can hug the street sign!

Photo update of south island adventures!

I have managed to scrounge up enough money (after paying for my many excellent adventure activities) to find enough internet time to upload, compress, and post a few of my pictures for your viewing enjoyment. Tomorrow I head out on the glacier hike, while Fi will do some kayaking. I should get to bed soon, as it's nearly midnight and we have to make an early start tomorrow. So, with that, here's what Fi and I have been up to since Monday:

I've been in NZ for 2 1/2 months now, and I still hate seafood so much that I chose to stick my head in my trailmix bag and sniff while we walked by the smoked fish shop in Nelson (notice my fabulous new "NZ Identity" shoulder bag!).

On our first night of Kiwi Ex in Nelson we collectively bought Matt (from England) a jug of beer if he agreed to shave his head. Here it is in action.

We've been hanging out with these two hooligans, among others, since Day 1 - Scott and Ben, both from England.

We stopped at Lake Rotoiti for lunch, and our bus driver Mangee offered a free pint (or jug?) for the first person to dive off the dock into the frigid water. Kelly and Ste chose to pose nicely instead.

Fish won the free beer!

Jetboating on the Buller River en route to Westport.

We had a bonfire on the beach in Westport. Fiona and I took every opportunity to sing around the campfire.

Whilst taking a picture of my feet in the Tasman Sea, as per mom's photo challenge request, the tide came in, leaving me with wet jeans and a friend (Tiffany, my fellow Canadian!) who was eager to take my picture.

One of the many beautiful scenes at the Cape Foulwind Walkway.

I had to pose by the crazy sign at Cape Foulwind. How far to Vancouver?

The big green Kiwi Experience bus!

We stopped at the Irimahuwhero lookout point to take pictures. This doesn't do it justice - I actually got choked up as we drove past because it really was that beautiful.

On our way to Lake Mahinapua we stopped at the Punakaiki Pancake Rocks. It was a gorgeous day, and the sun was warm and bright, making the walk enjoyable (maybe almost too hot), and the pictures vibrant.

Maddie (from England) and I picked up skipping stones from the beach at Mahinapua.

Last night we had a "T" Party at our hostel in Mahinapua. Scott (England), James (Northern Ireland), and Liam (Dublin) all went in togas.

Fish in her Maori costume (mentioned - and likely horribly misspelled - in the last post)

Jauma and Lewis went as tramps, while Maddie and I went as trailer trash twins. We even had matching travel pillows under our shirts! I know, I know, it's classy. What can I say? (It was especially entertaining to explain to Jauma, who is from Barcelona and doesn't speak very good English, how we wanted to pose in these awful costumes with him)

Jade, Craig, and Claire (Scotland) = tribal

Lewis (from Wales) got up-close and personal with his new girlfriend, a thar, at the Bushman Cafe, en route to Franz Josef this morning.

Our first peek of the Franz Josef glacier this afternoon, which we will be hiking all day tomorrow.

One of my favourite pictures from the last few days. Maddie has written in the sand the name of each country she's visited. This was taken yesterday, late afternoon - a beautiful day at Lake Mahinapua.

Updating from a Chinese website in Franz Josef!

I am attempting to update you all on my latest kiwi adventures, but it seems that blogger has decided to be a completely Chinese website today. I am therefore relying on my memory of the layout in order to successfully post said update, as the last time I checked I wasn't fluent in Mandarin.

Fi and I are having an absolute blast on our south island trip! We're now in Franz Josef for a free day of trekking, shopping, sleeping, spa pooling, blogging/e-mailing, photo CD burning, exploring, etc. Tomorrow is the big day where I head out bright and early with a few mates from our bus to do a full-day 8-hour hike of the Franz Josef glacier. It will be beautiful, and tiring! But such an adventure, and one that I would never be able to get at home. Sometimes these things are just worth spending the money on.

I'm working on the photo challenges that you have all given me, and so far I've gotten a few of them checked off the list. I promise I'm giving them all a good shot!

Last night we stayed at Lake Mahinapua, where we had a "T" Party at the Poo Pub (everyone dressed up as something that starts with the letter T - Maddie and I went as trailer trash twins... yes, mom you would be proud.... and Fish went as a Maori native, which in Maori is tapetu whenua or something like that... you'll have to excuse the horrible spelling, which I'm sure is not even close).

En route to Mahinapua we stopped at the Punakaiki pancake rocks, and the weather was absolutely GORGEOUS so it was a very enjoyable walk and I got tons of fantastic pictures. It's so neat to see the scenery that has become so familiar through my parents' pictures and videos from their NZ trip in 2004.

I really have to run or the computer will lose my post. My Internet time is up in 2 minutes.

I have to mention quickly, though, for my Canadian readers.... Queenstown has a Tim Horton's! I'm SO RIDICULOUSLY EXCITED!!!! I promise there will be pictures. Hahaha.

Cheers from Franz Josef!

A quick update from Westport

Hello from Westport! This has to be quick (as the title suggests) because I have only 6 minutes left on my limited internet time, and I still have to check my e-mail. Fi and I are having lots of fun on the Kiwi Experience tour, and we've only been gone for less than 2 days. We left Nelson this morning and stopped at Nelson Lakes for lunch, then at the Buller River Adventure Tours to do some jet boating (me) and horse trekking (Fiona) en route to Westport. We had a bonfire on the beach tonight with our bus driver and all of the other travelers, so that was a fun way to get to know people.

My time runs out in 4 minutes!

I've been a prolific postcard writer over the past 24 hours. I'll make my way to a post office sometime in the next couple days to get them in the mail. I found a nice koru postcard at the Buller River Adventure Tours office, so I picked up 6 of them. Haha, yes, 6. 3 are for me, as I plan to frame them all together for my room at the lake (or my new apartment, if the lime green of the postcard clashes with the lime green of my walls at the lake).

3 minutes left... must check e-mail!

I'm working on the photo challenge pictures as well. Mom, I got the picture of my feet in the Tasman Sea, but then the tide came in! So I also got an "after" shot of my soaked rolled-up jeans. Oh the trouble I go to for my friends and family! :op Haha. I'm loving the photo challenge. So far so good. My friends have been sending me REALLY challenging requests on Facebook... we'll see how those go. It's been fun so far for sure!

One minute! Cheers!

Lauren's Kiwi Adventures..... er, Experiences!

Off I go for a 2-week tour of New Zealand's beautiful and scenic south island with the Kiwi Experience bus tours. Here's the challenge:

You (yes, I mean you!) will leave me comments about anything that you want to see a picture of on my blog, and I will do my best to take a picture of it on the south island. It could be anything - a specific landmark, a funny road sign, a man wearing ugly short shorts, a mullet, a NZ symbol, anything. Be creative - it will make my picture-taking interesting!

I'm leaving in about 20 minutes, and will likely have sporadic access to the Internet while I'm gone, but if the blog posts dwindle and you don't hear from me for a while, don't fear. I'm with Fiona, adding another mark on the list of fantastic kiwi adventures..... or should I say Kiwi Experiences!

Week 10 moments

Time for an HVHS teaching update! Things have been going extremely well at school, and although this week is utter insanity (last week of term, my sole charge week, writing Year 9 reports, Year 11 and Year 13 performances and assessment reports, Year 9 guitar assessments, etc.), it has actually been a very positive experience. I had my Global Student Teaching supervisor Jill observe my final Year 13 Jazz History lesson today, and it went really well. It was a successful lesson, although I didn't feel it was my best (mainly because of a couple pacing issues due to the fact that my Year 13s haven't had a Jazz History lesson in 3 weeks, so all of their answers and discussions took longer as they had to recall all of the information). Nonetheless, Jill's comments on my teaching were extremely positive. A few quotes for the interested:

"I can tell already that you are a very proficient teacher..... and I don't say that often."

*jokingly* "It was almost a waste of time for me to come here and observe you doing exactly what I knew you could do!"

"You will have absolutely no problem finding a job.... and if you do, I want to know why!"

So, needless to say, I was very happy with how the day went in that regard. I also had my Year 9D guitar assessments today, and at the end of the spell when I was supervising the students putting their guitars back in the storage room, one boy stayed behind after putting his guitar away, looking like he had something to say. He sheepishly said to me, "It's been good, Miss, being in your guitar class. And I'm sorry about a couple things right at the beginning...." (we'd had a little "chat" in the first 2 lessons about some disruptive behaviour, i.e. horsing around with his friend in the classroom while I was distributing guitars to the rest of the class) ".... but it's really been good. Thank you." So that was a completely unexpected and really nice moment today. Then when I went back into the classroom I had a couple more boys waiting around to say thank you, to wish me a good term break, and to ask me if I was going to travel New Zealand on my 2 weeks off, so all in all it was definitely a nice way to end the day. I also got another very complimentary interim report from Stephen, so to make a long story short, today was fabulous! Definitely a lot of feel-good moments today (including at lunch time when Salma, one of my students from the last line of Year 9 guitar, stopped to have a visit with me outside the hall and asked me worriedly if I would be back in Term 4. When I said that I would be back for 4 weeks, she grinned and said, relieved, "Oh ok, good!"). I love HVHS!

Despite the fact that I still have copious amounts of work to do tonight (Year 11 performance assessment reports, Year 9 general music assessment marking, Year 9 general music reports.... oy vey....), I feel very content. I have another Orchestra performance tomorrow at assembly in Spell 1 so I'll have to get everything for tomorrow prepared for tonight, as performing in Spell 1 means that I lose my non-contact (prep) period. Life around here, as I said before, is utter insanity. But, it's all good. :o) And besides, you know me.... I've never been one to sit around idly anyway..... bring on the next challenge!

(I maybe shouldn't say that and tempt fate, as Gary, Katriona, Stephen and I are planning on having all of the Year 9s gather together in one room tomorrow and watch the DVD "High School Musical" in the last spell of the day. I can sense the impending chaos!)

So with that, I leave you with another video. This one isn't super recent, as I've only just figured out how to compress videos for the blog. I actually took this video of Grace a few weeks ago when we were hanging out on Courtenay Place in Wellington, likely during one of our traditional Tuesday get-togethers. So here you are - meet Grace in 3D! (Oh, and for the record, the shout-out to Auntie Diane is really to Auntie Diane and Uncle Ron.... didn't mean to leave anyone out! Haha. And if somehow you missed the in-joke about double chins, you must go back a few posts to find the infamous double chin pictures.... they're really too attractive to pass up)!

WYC singing "God Defend New Zealand / O Canada" (my first video blog post!)

Hey all! I conducted my arrangement of "God Defend New Zealand/O Canada" tonight at WYC rehearsal, and it went over well. I managed to compress the video into a very reduced-quality file suitable for posting on my blog, so the picture isn't very good but the audio should be ok.... compressing the file from 94 MB to 1.something MB obviously reduces the quality of everything considerably, but at least this gives you an idea. Make sure your speakers are turned up! The recording here is also too slow, as the choir was sight-reading and we were singing under tempo. But if I get the chance to conduct the piece again (Roger has mentioned perhaps bringing it out at our end-of-season dinner in a couple weeks), I'll get a recording of it at the correct tempo. But for now, enjoy!

We came.... we zorbed and swooped.... we conquered!

I'm back from a fantastically adventurous and exhausting weekend in Rotorua with Jude, Julia, and Grace. We met up with Grace's friend Jay at the Zorb and spent the rest of the day with him zorbing, swooping, luging, etc. We spent lots of money but saw lots of awesome sights and had lots of extremely entertaining and memorable bonding experiences. I'll do a post of some other pics from Taupo and area later, but for now here are the adventure photo highlights from our picture CDs ($50 NZ worth! Hahaha):

The Zorb ball at the bottom of the hill

Jude and Julia after their ride in the Zorb

Jay, Grace, and I give a thumbs up to Zorbing!

I'm screaming as I pull the rip cord at the Swoop. All 3 of us proceed to scream for the entire free-fall.

Headfirst.... what a view!

The bluriness of the background, Jay's screaming face, and Grace clutching Jay's arm say it all.

Once the initial "pee-your-pants" moment subsided, we were able to enjoy the ride and pretend we were flying.

All in all a great weekend! As Jay put it, it was a "sweet as Saturday" (and yes, that's sweet AS. One 's.' The kiwis say it all the time... basically it means really sweet. This also works for sayings such as "That joke was funny as" or "That test was easy as"). Yep, our trip to Rotorua was sweet as!

More updates to come later. Don't be surprised if the blogging is a bit lacking this week, as I am doing my first week of sole charge (i.e. teaching all of Stephen's classes) this week. Things are CRAZY around here. That being said, I need to get to bed. I've got lots to do tomorrow and I need all the sleep I can get, especially since I've still got this ridiculous cold! Must rest. Until next time, cheers! (Oh, and wish me luck for tomorrow.... WYC is singing my arrangement of God Defend New Zealand and O Canada, and I'm conducting!!!!)

Kiwi road trip time!

Kia ora! Grace, Jude, Julia and I are all heading off on our weekend road trip extravaganza to Taupo and Rotorua, the latter being the home of the infamous "Swoop" and "Zorb" today after school/work! YAY!!!! Grace and I have been planning this trip for months, and it's finally happening! Stay tuned for some hilariously fun and adventurous pictures from our weekend.

Stephen and I just had the most ridiculous and unstoppable giggle fit in the staff lounge whilst marking Year 13 harmony exams. It was SO funny though, and I even said to him (between gasps for air, tears, and outbursts of laughter) that "my mother would really appreciate this right now...." It was hilarious, and we were both being so silly that we could hardly look at each other while we were talking without bursting out in laughter again. Oy! SO funny. I am SO happy that he's my co-op teacher. What a great guy.

I should jet here. Take care everyone, and think of me on Saturday afternoon (Friday night at home) as I soar through the sky on Rotorua's "Swoop" and get sloshed around down a hill in a big giant ball known as the "Zorb." I reckon it will be a fun time with good mates.... add another one to my list of kiwi adventures!!!!

Much love!

The amazing thing we call life.

(Disclaimer: Extreme cheesiness follows. Reader discretion is advised. If you are feeling nauseous prior to reading this post, the words contained below will surely send you over the edge. If you choose to keep reading, please, for the sake of the flooring underneath you and any people who may be around you, have a barf bucket handy. Consider yourself warned.)

The past couple days have been really inspiring and reflective for me. On Saturday we went to Castlepoint (see post below), and as I took my shoes and socks off and felt the earth beneath my feet, I thought to myself how incredibly fortunate I am to be able to experience such amazing scenery with such wonderful people. New Zealand is so beautiful, and I have been so lucky to have been able to see so much of it already. I will also be embarking on a tour of the south island shortly, which I have heard is just incredible (prepare yourself for another picture overdose!). And it goes without saying that I have made some absolutely amazing friends since I've been here, and even though I'll be leaving them all in less than 2 months, I will always look back with fond memories of our time together.

Then last night at WYC rehearsal we sang some new tunes from our "lighter side" repertoire for the last concert of the year (which, sadly, I will not be attending, as it falls in the middle of my first week of school holidays and I will be traveling the south island), and we sang "And So It Goes" by the King's Singers. If you don't know that tune, you really should check it out - it's worth having a listen to; the harmony is absolutely incredible - unexpected suspensions everywhere - and so many rhythmic subtleties that make it an absolute gem to listen to and to sing. I was feeling really nostalgic as I remembered singing that very arrangement with some friends from Greystone Singers Executive at Disrobed a couple years ago, and it made me realize just how much I miss my friends at home. So I got a bit teary-eyed, and when I tried to comfort myself by thinking 'It's ok, you'll be back home with them soon,' I started to cry even harder thinking about leaving all of my new friends here. My mates here are amazing - I feel so much like part of the WYC family. I'm especially going to miss Julia and Jude when I go.... those girls are awesome. Anyway, I bawled my eyes out through our entire rehearsal of "And So It Goes," and when we finished that song Roger gave us our usual mid-rehearsal 10-minute break, so Julia gave me a big hug and let me cry on her shoulder, then Matt came over and rubbed my back while I sniffled and laughed and hugged back all at the same time. I love my mates here. It's funny though... it seems like a bit of a lose-lose situation (that is, in reality, a win-win situation) - I miss my friends at home when I'm in NZ, and I'll miss my friends in NZ when I'm at home. It's like if I have one, I can't have the other. But it really is a win-win though, because I'm so lucky to have such amazing people around me wherever I go. And there's a lot of room for love in this little Kiwinadian heart!

This morning I called Gerald at 8am (2pm on Tuesday back at home) to wish him a happy 1st Greystones rehearsal of the year. He was surprised to hear from me, but glad to catch up for a brief 10 minutes before I had to head off to school. I told him to say hi to the choir for me - I miss them a lot, and will be happy to be back singing with them in January.... now all we need to do is figure out some way to get the Greystones on tour with WYC!

Tonight Sam and I went on a mini-adventure to see some glow worms just outside the Hutt. There's a spot just off the motorway near Petone that you wouldn't notice while driving, but it's really quite neat. We took a walk to see the glow worms, then hung out on the grass looking at the stars. I found the southern cross and Jupiter, and Sam pointed out Scorpius. It was really awe-inspiring to see the sky full of stars, and to imagine the constellations upside-down in the northern hemisphere.... it once again reminded me of how big the world and the universe really are, and how small we all are in comparison. But, as Fivel the mouse sings in "Somewhere Out There" from An American Tale - "And even though I know how very far apart we are, it helps to know we might be wishing on the same bright star. And when the stars come out to sing their lonesome lullaby, it helps to know we're sleeping underneath the same big sky..."

So, it has been a reflective few days for me. What I've taken away from it is a greater appreciation for those things that I already appreciated - friends, family, the outdoors, life, love, humanness..... this NZ experience has been life-changing for me. Thank you to those who have supported me through it all. You have no idea how much you mean to me. I miss you, my family and friends back at home, but just know that kiwi life has been treating me amazingly well, and I will be full of stories for you (and a new perspective with which to share them) when I get home.


Until then, stay tuned for more kiwi updates. Cheers, love, and good night.

(Scorpius, the moon, and Jupiter)

Cowboy hats, beautiful beaches, and dead sharks... who could ask for anything more?

Here are just a couple photographic highlights of my weekend. It has been a great weekend - hoedown party at Liz's place on Friday, Castlepoint with Grace, Fi, Sam, Richard, and Kirsten on Saturday, movie night with Grace and Aidyn last night, and then a productive Sunday (today). So far I've cleaned my room, done laundry, finished and e-mailed my Week 8 reflection to my Global Student Teaching supervisor, re-booked my flights to Australia and Vancouver for November, and now I'm updating the blog. Will do some lesson planning today as well. But for now, here are the pictures (oh, and if you somehow missed my massive post from yesterday, do check that one out too! Tons of pictures!)!:

Julia, Jude and I sporting our fabulously sparkly and matching cowboy hats at Liz's hoedown party. The matching freckles are courtesy of Julia and her eyeliner pencil.

The view of the lighthouse in the distance at Castlepoint

Me and Grace at Castlepoint

This rock was HEAVY!

Nice view of the water on a beach at Castlepoint

Yeah, that's a dead shark. Don't worry, I washed my hands. Haha. EWW.

Another section of the beach at Castlepoint