I've been waiting to travel around New Zealand since I arrived about 6 weeks ago and now the time is finally here! We have 2 weeks off from school for spring break and I'll be flying down to the South Island for about 17 days from August 27-September 12. A group of 8 of us from the group are renting campervans and road tripping across most of the South Island! After Mia's wonderful experience doing this 2 years ago, I had to do it! I'll be out of touch most of the time since we'll be in the middle of nowhere for most of the trip, but I will have my cell phone with me in case anyone feels like calling. Here's our itinerary for the trip and some links to see pictures:
Friday, August 27th
• Fly into Christchurch
• Drive northwest to Arthur’s Pass
Saturday, August 28th
• Hike the next morning in Arthur’s Pass
• Drive west to Punakaiki Pancake Rocks
• Drive south to Hokitika and stop in Greymouth
Sunday, August 29th
• Drive south to Franz Josef Glacier
• Hike around Franz Josef glacier/Lake Mapourika
Monday, August 30th
• Drive to Fox Glacier
• Hike around Fox Glacier/Lake Matheson
• Gillespie’s Beach
Tuesday, August 31st
• Drive south to Wanaka and explore
• Drive to Queenstown
Wednesday, September 1st
• Explore Queenstown and do fun things!
Thursday, September 2nd
• Another fun day in Queenstown!
Friday, September 3rd
• Drive to Milford Sound
• Hike around Milford Sound
Saturday, September 4th
• Kayaking/Cruise at Milford Sound/Lake Manapouri
Sunday, September 5th
• Hike in Fiordland National Park
Monday, September 6th
• Drive south and drive along the Catlin’s coast
• Stop at Cathedral Caves, Curio Bay, Nugget Point, Purakaunui Falls
Tuesday, September 7th
• Drive to Dunedin and explore!
Wednesday, September 8th
• Hiking on Otago Peninsula and see wildlifes
Thursday, September 9th
• Drive to Moeraki Boulders
• Drive north to Lake Tekapo and explore
Friday, September 10th
• Drive to Mt. Cook
• Hike around Mt. Cook
Saturday, September 11th
• Drive to Akaroa on Banks Peninsula
Sunday, September 12
• Fly out of Christchurch
I know I will have so many amazing pictures of my own after this trip, so there will be several entries once i get back. I hope everyone has fun moving into school and starting the new school year! And I hope everyone is doing well!
Love, Dafna
Monday, August 23, 2010
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Internship, Otara Market, Auckland Rugby Game
After working at my internship at Oranga for about 4 weeks now, I feel really comfortable at the school and with the students. All of the teachers and teacher aides are so friendly and make the workday really fun. Also, I've already seen progress with the students as I've gotten to know them better and they learn new concepts at school. This week, I was able to work individually with some of the students to teach them math and english. Each student has a specific learning program that you must follow and track their progress. I've also been able to observe the OT's and PT's working with the students, which has been really cool. Here's a photo of the school from the outside, as well as a photo of my classroom.
On Friday, the whole group went to a going away party for our friend Kahu. He works with the group and is moving to Gisborne, which is on the east coast of the North Island. It was a really fun farewell party, and a good chance for our group to get together to hang out. On Saturday a few of us went to the Otara Market. It's located in South Auckland, which was pretty far away. It is supposed to be the largest Maori and Polynesian market. There were so many stands of fruits and vegetables, as well as prepared food and other random stuff. I bought all kinds of good food, like silverbeet, which is a form of swiss chard, and kiwi's! I was hesitant to try the black Maori potatoes...
Today a big group of us went to the Auckland vs. Northland rugby game at Eden Park. It was really cool to watch a rugby game live. It is so violent! But luckily, Auckland won the game and we had a great time! We even got to meet some of the players after the game!
We leave for the South Island in 5 days! I am so excited! I hope everyone is doing well!
Love, Dafna
On Friday, the whole group went to a going away party for our friend Kahu. He works with the group and is moving to Gisborne, which is on the east coast of the North Island. It was a really fun farewell party, and a good chance for our group to get together to hang out. On Saturday a few of us went to the Otara Market. It's located in South Auckland, which was pretty far away. It is supposed to be the largest Maori and Polynesian market. There were so many stands of fruits and vegetables, as well as prepared food and other random stuff. I bought all kinds of good food, like silverbeet, which is a form of swiss chard, and kiwi's! I was hesitant to try the black Maori potatoes...
Today a big group of us went to the Auckland vs. Northland rugby game at Eden Park. It was really cool to watch a rugby game live. It is so violent! But luckily, Auckland won the game and we had a great time! We even got to meet some of the players after the game!
We leave for the South Island in 5 days! I am so excited! I hope everyone is doing well!
Love, Dafna
Friday, August 13, 2010
Auckland Museum, AUT, Devonport
So this weekend was somewhat of a bust, since we were unable to go camping in the Coromandel Peninsula. There were severe storm warnings so we opted out of doing the two day hike, only to find out that the trail was closed due to flooding. After planning this trip, I was disappointed that we couldn't go, but we'll reschedule and it will be great! But now I can catch up on all kinds of things that I've been doing recently. A few weeks ago our friend Kahu took us to the University of Auckland marae. A marae is a sacred, traditional Maori meetinghouse and is usually intricately carved and decorated. Each post represents a tribe, or a god, and tells a mythological story. He taught us a bunch of stuff about the Maori and it was a lot of fun!
Also, this week marked the ending of our group class that took place every night of the week. Everyone was always so tired during the evening that a three hour lecture from 5-8pm after a full day of classes or internship was difficult. Luckily, we took our final exam and it's over! Now we will have our afternoons and evenings free to explore more of the city. The class took place on AUT campus, so here's a few photos of AUT campus, including Hikuwai Plaza, which is the main area of the university with the library, bookstore, gym, and food court.
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This week was also pretty great at my internship. On Monday all of the teacher aides had a lecture on Wheelchair Mobility and Vision Impairment that was really interesting. And on Thursday my class had a class trip to the Auckland Museum. The Auckland Museum is located within a giant park called the Auckland Domain. The museum is technically the war museum, but it encompasses mostly everything about New Zealand culture, including a huge section on Maori and Pacific Islanders. It was really fun to go there with all of the students. We brought their walkers with us and the kids had a great time using their walkers to maneuver around the museum. There was also a special exhibit called Kai to Pie, which showcased New Zealand food culture. It was a great exhibit, and my Gastronomy professor was even honored as one of the best Kiwi food historians. It was a great day at the museum.
So even though we're staying in Auckland this weekend, I think we'll have a good time. Tonight we saw Inception, which was a great movie. I haven't seen such a crazy and unique movie like that in a while. For dinner I ate at The White Lady, which is a famous Auckland truck that parks in the city and serves delicious burgers and milkshakes! Here is a photo of The White Lady.
On Sunday Rachel, Kavitha and I took the ferry to Devonport, which is a suburb of Auckland that is across the harbor. It's an old town and is known for its cute shops, restaurants, and great views of Auckland. We walked around the main part of town and found some cool used bookstores and poster shops. We also walked up to Mt. Victoria, which is an extinct volcano. We had a panoramic view of Auckland harbor and the surrounding islands and volcanoes. It was so beautiful! The first photo is of Devonport and Mt. Victoria from the ferry. We also stumbled upon an open house and we just had to go inside. It was such a unique house, from the 1900s, and so well decorated. Here's a picture of the house from the outside.
I hope everyone is doing well!
Love,
Dafna
Also, this week marked the ending of our group class that took place every night of the week. Everyone was always so tired during the evening that a three hour lecture from 5-8pm after a full day of classes or internship was difficult. Luckily, we took our final exam and it's over! Now we will have our afternoons and evenings free to explore more of the city. The class took place on AUT campus, so here's a few photos of AUT campus, including Hikuwai Plaza, which is the main area of the university with the library, bookstore, gym, and food court.
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This week was also pretty great at my internship. On Monday all of the teacher aides had a lecture on Wheelchair Mobility and Vision Impairment that was really interesting. And on Thursday my class had a class trip to the Auckland Museum. The Auckland Museum is located within a giant park called the Auckland Domain. The museum is technically the war museum, but it encompasses mostly everything about New Zealand culture, including a huge section on Maori and Pacific Islanders. It was really fun to go there with all of the students. We brought their walkers with us and the kids had a great time using their walkers to maneuver around the museum. There was also a special exhibit called Kai to Pie, which showcased New Zealand food culture. It was a great exhibit, and my Gastronomy professor was even honored as one of the best Kiwi food historians. It was a great day at the museum.
So even though we're staying in Auckland this weekend, I think we'll have a good time. Tonight we saw Inception, which was a great movie. I haven't seen such a crazy and unique movie like that in a while. For dinner I ate at The White Lady, which is a famous Auckland truck that parks in the city and serves delicious burgers and milkshakes! Here is a photo of The White Lady.
On Sunday Rachel, Kavitha and I took the ferry to Devonport, which is a suburb of Auckland that is across the harbor. It's an old town and is known for its cute shops, restaurants, and great views of Auckland. We walked around the main part of town and found some cool used bookstores and poster shops. We also walked up to Mt. Victoria, which is an extinct volcano. We had a panoramic view of Auckland harbor and the surrounding islands and volcanoes. It was so beautiful! The first photo is of Devonport and Mt. Victoria from the ferry. We also stumbled upon an open house and we just had to go inside. It was such a unique house, from the 1900s, and so well decorated. Here's a picture of the house from the outside.
I hope everyone is doing well!
Love,
Dafna
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Just a Regular Week in Auckland
I have been having a great time just living life in Auckland. I spend two days a week at my internship, and the rest in classes at AUT. We didn't go on a trip this weekend, but I managed to do a lot of fun stuff around the city. On Friday I went running along Tamaki Drive, which has a really nice waterfront path for runners and bikers. It was a beautiful day and I went as far as Mission Bay Beach, which is a nice area for restaurants and beach cafe's.
On Saturday we went to the Auckland Farmer's Market. There were all kinds of speciality cheeses, pastries, vegetables, fruits, and fish. In the evening the whole group went to our friend Kahu's house for a potluck dinner and to watch the All Blacks rugby game. The All Blacks won and we had a really great time. Today we went on a free trip to Kelly Tarleton's Underwater World, which is Auckland's aquarium. There were all kinds of fish, shark and stingrays, but the main event was the antarctic penguin colony. There were so many penguins and we got to see them up close. It was so amazing!
Now, I'm busy organizing a group camping trip to the Coromandel for the upcoming weekend. It should be a lot of fun. Along with some others in the group, we are planning an awesome spring break in the South Island of New Zealand. We plan to spend 17 days in the South Island from August 27th to September 12th. I am so excited to plan this trip! In the meantime, I have 3 more weeks of class until break! I hope everyone is doing well!
Love, Dafna
On Saturday we went to the Auckland Farmer's Market. There were all kinds of speciality cheeses, pastries, vegetables, fruits, and fish. In the evening the whole group went to our friend Kahu's house for a potluck dinner and to watch the All Blacks rugby game. The All Blacks won and we had a really great time. Today we went on a free trip to Kelly Tarleton's Underwater World, which is Auckland's aquarium. There were all kinds of fish, shark and stingrays, but the main event was the antarctic penguin colony. There were so many penguins and we got to see them up close. It was so amazing!
Now, I'm busy organizing a group camping trip to the Coromandel for the upcoming weekend. It should be a lot of fun. Along with some others in the group, we are planning an awesome spring break in the South Island of New Zealand. We plan to spend 17 days in the South Island from August 27th to September 12th. I am so excited to plan this trip! In the meantime, I have 3 more weeks of class until break! I hope everyone is doing well!
Love, Dafna
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Weekend Trip to the Bay of Islands
I just got back to Auckland from a wonderful 3 day trip to the Bay of Islands, which is in the northern tip of the North Island. It was an organized trip for the whole group that is part of our New Zealand group class. The trip was planned by an organization called GOOT, that stands for Get Out Of Town. It's a web-based company that gives ideas and advice for traveling around New Zealand. Anyway, we left Auckland on Friday morning and began the drive north. Our first stop was the Waipoua Kauri Forest to see Tane Mahuta, the largest and possibly oldest Kauri tree in New Zealand. This particular Kauri tree is about 2,000 years old and rivals the California Sequoia trees in size. Kauri trees are known for their gigantic size and strength, as they were used for building boats and houses throughout the centuries.
From there we drove to Opononi, a very small town on the west coast that has excellent sand dunes. We all boarded a small boat and were driven to the other side of the bay to go boogie boarding down the sand dunes! The sand dune was really tall and led out onto the ocean, so you could boogie board down the sand dune and glide into the water. It was a beautiful day and everyone had so much fun! Here's a photo of the beach where we sandboarded.
Our Sandboarding Video Made by Patrick, a friend on the program. You can find me at 1:09.
After sandboarding we drove the rest of the pay to Paihia, a town in the Bay of Islands. The Bay of Islands is an area that has tons of bays and islands everywhere. It was also one of the main ports and whaling areas in the 1800s, so it was one of the first developed areas in New Zealand. The picture was taken when I was on the ferry in the Bay of Islands. On Friday night we had a huge barbecue at our hostel!
On Saturday we spent the morning in a town called Russell, which was across the bay. Afterwards, we had the whole rest of the day to do any activities we wanted, and there were so many options! Some people went skydiving, deep sea fishing, or dolphin watching, but I went parasailing with some of the girls in the group. I had never been before and it was so great! The company is known for having New Zealand's highest parasail at nearly 1,200 feet! It was absolutely gorgeous to see the Bay of Islands from that high in the air. I've never seen anything like it! We were in the air for about 20 minutes and I loved every second.
The rest of the day was spent relaxing and bike riding along the coast. On Saturday night everyone watched the New Zealand All Blacks rugby game against Australia. The All Blacks are like heroes in New Zealand, everyone loves them! Before the game starts, the All Blacks do the traditional Maori haka, or traditional war dance. After learning so much about the Maori it was so cool to see them do the haka on TV. Here's a a youtube video of the haka. On Sunday we went to the Waitangi Treaty grounds to learn about the Treaty of Waitangi that was signed in 1840 between the Maori and Europeans. It was an interesting tour. After all that, we headed back to Auckland for another week of classes and internships. I hope everyone is doing well!
Love, Dafna
From there we drove to Opononi, a very small town on the west coast that has excellent sand dunes. We all boarded a small boat and were driven to the other side of the bay to go boogie boarding down the sand dunes! The sand dune was really tall and led out onto the ocean, so you could boogie board down the sand dune and glide into the water. It was a beautiful day and everyone had so much fun! Here's a photo of the beach where we sandboarded.
Our Sandboarding Video Made by Patrick, a friend on the program. You can find me at 1:09.
After sandboarding we drove the rest of the pay to Paihia, a town in the Bay of Islands. The Bay of Islands is an area that has tons of bays and islands everywhere. It was also one of the main ports and whaling areas in the 1800s, so it was one of the first developed areas in New Zealand. The picture was taken when I was on the ferry in the Bay of Islands. On Friday night we had a huge barbecue at our hostel!
On Saturday we spent the morning in a town called Russell, which was across the bay. Afterwards, we had the whole rest of the day to do any activities we wanted, and there were so many options! Some people went skydiving, deep sea fishing, or dolphin watching, but I went parasailing with some of the girls in the group. I had never been before and it was so great! The company is known for having New Zealand's highest parasail at nearly 1,200 feet! It was absolutely gorgeous to see the Bay of Islands from that high in the air. I've never seen anything like it! We were in the air for about 20 minutes and I loved every second.
The rest of the day was spent relaxing and bike riding along the coast. On Saturday night everyone watched the New Zealand All Blacks rugby game against Australia. The All Blacks are like heroes in New Zealand, everyone loves them! Before the game starts, the All Blacks do the traditional Maori haka, or traditional war dance. After learning so much about the Maori it was so cool to see them do the haka on TV. Here's a a youtube video of the haka. On Sunday we went to the Waitangi Treaty grounds to learn about the Treaty of Waitangi that was signed in 1840 between the Maori and Europeans. It was an interesting tour. After all that, we headed back to Auckland for another week of classes and internships. I hope everyone is doing well!
Love, Dafna
Monday, July 26, 2010
Waitomo, Waitakere Ranges, Bethells Beach
This weekend was so great! It was the first weekend that everyone in the group left Auckland to explore other parts of New Zealand. I was so surprised at how beautiful the countryside is and the surrounding areas. Everywhere we went was more beautiful than the place before. I can tell this semester is going to be so amazing! We started our adventures on Saturday morning when a group of 10 of us ventured to Waitomo, a small town 3 hours south of Auckland. Waitomo is famous for its Glow worm caves. At Waitomo we went Black water rafting! Black water rafting is basically rafting in inner tubes along a river that is within a cave. It was pitch black inside the cave so we wore helmets equipped with headlamps to see our way around. We also wore full wetsuits to protect ourselves against the freezing temperatures. We got to float down the river and look up at all the glow worms on the cave's ceiling. At times, there were small waterfalls so we had to jump with our inner tubes down the waterfalls. It was so much fun! On the way back to Auckland, we stopped at Marakopa Falls, a giant beautiful waterfall.
On Sunday the entire group had an orientation bus trip around Auckland. Our first stop was Mission Bay Beach, the best beach near Auckland. It is only a short bus ride away so it would be nice to go there for an afternoon. Afterwards we drove to the top of Mt. Eden, which is the tallest volcano in Auckland. We had a panoramic 360 of Auckland and the surrounding suburbs. It was a beautiful view.
Our next stop was the Waitakere Ranges, a regional park west of the city. It is very mountainous and full of lush rainforest. We did a short hike through the forest and the guide taught us about common trees and plants. It was so green, even though its the middle of winter! Then we drove to Lake Wainamo, which is surrounded by giant black sand dunes. Everyone had a chance to jump down the massive sand dunes, then we walked back to the bus through a stream in the valley.
After that, we drove to Bethells Beach, which is on the west coast of the North Island. When we arrived it was raining pretty heavily, but once we got down to the beach the rain cleared and the it became the most beautiful beach I have ever been to. We stayed and walked around the beach for about an hour, but I could have stayed all day. The pictures basically speak for themselves. So overall, it was a wonderful weekend and I am ready for many more.
On Monday, I had the first day of my internship at the Oranga School. It was so much fun! There are 6 kids in my class, ages 8-11, with 1 main teacher and 3 other teacher aides. Already on the first day I was given things to do and I think my presence is greatly appreciated. They always need an extra hand. Everyone was really nice and the kids are great, so I think this will be a great experience. So I hope everyone is doing well and I hope to hear from you soon!
Love, Dafna
On Sunday the entire group had an orientation bus trip around Auckland. Our first stop was Mission Bay Beach, the best beach near Auckland. It is only a short bus ride away so it would be nice to go there for an afternoon. Afterwards we drove to the top of Mt. Eden, which is the tallest volcano in Auckland. We had a panoramic 360 of Auckland and the surrounding suburbs. It was a beautiful view.
Our next stop was the Waitakere Ranges, a regional park west of the city. It is very mountainous and full of lush rainforest. We did a short hike through the forest and the guide taught us about common trees and plants. It was so green, even though its the middle of winter! Then we drove to Lake Wainamo, which is surrounded by giant black sand dunes. Everyone had a chance to jump down the massive sand dunes, then we walked back to the bus through a stream in the valley.
After that, we drove to Bethells Beach, which is on the west coast of the North Island. When we arrived it was raining pretty heavily, but once we got down to the beach the rain cleared and the it became the most beautiful beach I have ever been to. We stayed and walked around the beach for about an hour, but I could have stayed all day. The pictures basically speak for themselves. So overall, it was a wonderful weekend and I am ready for many more.
On Monday, I had the first day of my internship at the Oranga School. It was so much fun! There are 6 kids in my class, ages 8-11, with 1 main teacher and 3 other teacher aides. Already on the first day I was given things to do and I think my presence is greatly appreciated. They always need an extra hand. Everyone was really nice and the kids are great, so I think this will be a great experience. So I hope everyone is doing well and I hope to hear from you soon!
Love, Dafna
Thursday, July 22, 2010
So the internship begins...
Yesterday I had my interview with my internship placement, the Carlson School for Cerebral Palsy, which is located in the southern part of Auckland. I met with the deputy principal of the school, and we talked about what I wanted to get out of the internship and what the school could offer me. I was offered a position at their satellite location, Oranga Primary School, as an additional teacher aide in one of their classes. I will be helping the teacher and other teacher aides, as well as the occupational and physical therapists on site. I am very excited about the internship and I think it will be a great experience. I start working on Monday and will work about 18 hours per week throughout the semester. I am able to create my own schedule based on my classes and other commitments. But overall, I think it will be a fun internship and I'm sure I will learn a lot.
Also yesterday my roommate Tara and I walked throughout Albert Park, which is near the university. It was a beautiful day (no rain!) so we took advantage and walked around a good part of the city. The pictures here are all of various parts of Albert Park and the city.
We stopped by the Civic Theater on Queen Street and bought tickets for a movie called "Last Paradise" that is part of the New Zealand International Film Festival. The film is an eco-adventure film about the evolution of extreme sports in New Zealand. I think it will be a good one!
The other night some of the guys in the group organized a big potluck dinner for everyone. It took place in the communal kitchen on the first floor of UniLodge and it was such a success! We had such a great time eating and drinking and getting to know each other better.
I have a bunch of fun things planned for the weekend that I will tell everyone about on Monday. Have a good weekend!
Love, Dafna
Also yesterday my roommate Tara and I walked throughout Albert Park, which is near the university. It was a beautiful day (no rain!) so we took advantage and walked around a good part of the city. The pictures here are all of various parts of Albert Park and the city.
We stopped by the Civic Theater on Queen Street and bought tickets for a movie called "Last Paradise" that is part of the New Zealand International Film Festival. The film is an eco-adventure film about the evolution of extreme sports in New Zealand. I think it will be a good one!
The other night some of the guys in the group organized a big potluck dinner for everyone. It took place in the communal kitchen on the first floor of UniLodge and it was such a success! We had such a great time eating and drinking and getting to know each other better.
I have a bunch of fun things planned for the weekend that I will tell everyone about on Monday. Have a good weekend!
Love, Dafna
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