day seven, a dream come true...

the day my dream came true, one does not simply walk into Hobbiton and not take heaps and heaps of pictures.  The promise of going to Mata Mata and going on the Hobbiton tour was honestly one of the main reasons I wanted to go on the PacRim trip.  The day started out with us leaving Rotarua behind and driving to Mata Mata.  Along the way, a few people wanted to go zorbing, which is being put in a big plastic ball and being rolled down a hill.  I was going to do it, but the prices were a bit too high for my liking...I enjoyed watching my team members rolling down the hill though.  So after that we FINALLY arrived!!!  it was more beautiful than I could have ever imagined...and also more small.  walking around felt so surreal, like it couldn't be real, no way was I in THE Hobbiton!  also a HUGE shout out to Chelsea for offering to take pictures of me when I asked.  Usually I'm not the biggest fan of having just me in a picture, but for this trip I thought "what the heck! I'm going to take as many pictures as I want!"  she was a great sport.  we had an awesome tour guide for our group and she informed us on several behind the scene facts.  at the end of our tour, we were able to go into the Green Dragon pub and drink complimentary (non-alcoholic) ginger beer.  all in all, it was a great tour and I would really recommend it for anyone who is an LOTR fan.  after the tour ended, we headed into Raglan to stay at another hostile called Karioi...and holy hippie-ville!!! it would be a pretty cool place if you are going by yourself or with one other person, but as a large group, it was just kind of stressful.  there were other people there and I would have loved talking to them but being in a large group like ours, I didnt really feel the need to be around even more people.  one interesting thing was that they did not lock their doors!  it made all of us a bit nervous since we had our laptops and what not, but that was just how things were run up there, based on the trust system.  finished the day with fish n chips by the beach!

day six...

a busy day!  a group of us woke up at 5:30 in the morning and headed over to a hot spring to swim.  I have never been around hot springs but it was really cool.  We got into the water and it felt just like a hot tub!  after splashing around Kerosene Creek for a bit, we headed back to YHA and got ready for the day.  After washing off the sulfur smell, we got ready to go hiking at a redwood tree forest...it was beautiful!! absolutely stunning...everything was so green and it smelled so fresh and clean!  This trip is really giving me a heart for hiking and exploring, I think I will try to get more into that when I come back to the states!  YOLO amiright?? so after discovering more of God's amazing creation for a few hours, we went to a cultural center called Te Puia.  It is a really cool reserve with hot spring geysers, kiwi exhibits, and Maori culture.  During one part of our cultural experience, we were able to see a Maori welcome.  One member from the crowd would volunteer to be named "chief"  for the demonstration and lucky for our group, our very own Joe Nehls was chosen!  This meant that our entire team was able to sit in the front for the presentation, so that was pretty sweet.  when everyone entered the Maori building and was seated, some Maori tribe members showed us some traditional dances and songs...it was incredible!  the singing blew me away with how beautiful and haunting it was.  Since Joe was the chief, he had to go up and greet the men with a traditional hongi (pressing noses together as a greeting) and he, along with other team members, learned part of a haka dance...it was hilarious!  they were all good sports about it.  After we left the cultural center, we headed to a mountain to do some luging.  SO MUCH FUN!  so basically what this is is a small cart that you ride down the mountain on a track...there are turns and areas you have to slow down on but other than that, you can just race down!  we were able to go 4 times which was sweet as!  the first time I was pretty hesitant, but then by the 4th time down I was loving the speed of it and taking the turns as fast as a could.  several members of our group crashed and got some pretty gnarly raspberries on their arms and legs but thankfully no serious injuries.  We ended our day with some delicious ice cream (i got a scoop of fig and honey and a scoop of spiced apple crumble...holy yum batman!) and trivia crack

day five...

a sad day to be sure, but on to the next leg of our trip!  leaving our host family's home was a sad moment...they had made us feel right at home and really welcomed Chelsea and I into their lives.  Thank you Andrew, Sharon, and Anna for everything!  our team left Waikanae behind and headed to Rotarua.  A took a couple of hours to get there and when we arrived we were greeted with the pungent smell of sulfur.  Rotarua is surrounded by hot springs...super cool to see, not so keen on the smell though.  We arrived in the tourist trap town and unpacked at the YHA (the hostile we stayed at) and explored the town a bit...we were all pretty tired from the trip though so not too much excitement this day.

day four...

super rad day!  after ministry class, the team headed to a beach that has a seal colony!  Let me just say, i am so thankful for my Chacos!  we had quite the hike up the beach to get to the colony and it was pretty rocky so im glad i wasnt in jandals (flip flops).  When we arrived to the spot where the seals are, Angie told us that we had to be very careful!  The seals would blend in with the rocks and they can become very aggressive if we were to get too close.  At first we didnt see any seals and it looked like the day was going to be a bust...but then as we looked closer, we found that what we thought were rocks were actually seals!  we ended up seeing quite a few.  At one point I attempted to get closer to get the perfect shot but apparently I was nearing the nest of a sea gull as it began to dive bomb me!  I saw my life flash before my eyes and got the heck out of dodge.  but i still got some pretty rad pictures!  it was a beautiful sight and as I sat alone on a huge boulder overlooking the colony and watching the ocean crash against the shore, I was in awe of it all.  i just wanted to soak it in.  One of the things I am learning is that sometimes you have to get out from behind the camera and take a mental image.  There are some things a camera cant catch.  Later that evening after we left the beach, we headed into town to another beach front and grilled up some burgers for dinner.

day three...

lovely Wellington

waking up and having bacon, eggs, and toast on the grill was a great way to start the day!  again I cannot express how lucky Chelsea and I were to have such an incredible family.  After a hearty breakfast, it was time to meet up with the team at the church for ministry class.  Matt taught us about the holy spirit and I learned a thing or too.  After that for a few hours, we all headed into Wellington for the remainder of the afternoon.  its a beautiful city and I really wish we could have spent longer there.  while we were there we went to a museum (fo freeeee!) and learned more about the New Zealand.  A few people jumped off a pier that was close by right before we left.  the water was gorgeous and there were jellyfish everywhere!  luckily, these jellyfish dont have the ability to sting.  So after a fun few hours, we headed back to Waikanae and to our host families for evening tea (dinner).  when Chelsea and I arrived back at our house, our family was having a small BBQ with some close family friends.  It was really cool being introduced to some of their friends and we were able to see more of that Kiwi kindness.  After the guests took their leave, Chelsea and I stayed up till midnight talking with our host parents about politics.  I am finding that I thoroughly enjoy talking about politics.  I dont really know a whole lot in that area, but Chelsea shines in that retrospect!  She is so smart.  it was cool hearing the point of views that Kiwis have on Americans and our political system and likewise hearing about how things are in this country.

day two...

Sunday funday!  In the morning Chelsea, Anna, and I got up and walked down to Waikanae Baptist Church and got a warm welcome from our team members.  After the church service and minglings ended, one of the daughters of a different host family offered to take us down to the "Dairy" for ice cream.  Here in New Zealand, the Dairy is a small convenience store where you can buy drinks, ice cream, and lollies (candy).  i had passion fruit ice cream and it was THE BOMB!! super yummy! After we got back to the house, our host parents offered to take us to Nga Manu nature reserve for a while.  While we were there we fed ducks, took a nature trail hike, fed eels, and saw a kiwi bird in captivity.  Chelsea was very brave in feeding the ducks, heaps and heaps of them would just come running to get some duck feed out of our hands.  I was slightly less brave when it came to feeding them and I usually just ended up throwing the feed at them.  While on the nature trail, Chels and I learned about the Tui and fantail bird, two of the natural birds of NZ.  feeding the eels was pretty gnarly as well!  we held sticks that had pieces of duck at the end and the eels would just tear it to pieces!  After our fun at Nga (pronounced Na) Manu, we went to a river where the rest of our team and host families were.  We spent the afternoon swimming and jumping off of small cliffs into the river and getting some sun.  unfortunately, we also spent the afternoon getting eaten alive by sandflies....the most evil of all the bugs!  They just take one little bite and all of a sudden you have a huge, red welt that itches for several days.  We learned that further down in that same river they filmed a section of the Lord of the Rings!  it was the part where Frodo is being rushed to Rivendale by Arwen and the ring wraiths are chasing them.  They have to cross a river and Arwen conjures up a spell to wash away the enemies...so it was pretty cool being in the near vicinity of such an epic scene.  After we left the river, our host family took us to all get fish n' chips to eat on the beach.  It felt like we were in a movie!  It was my first fish n' chips experience...lets just say that I was NOT disappointed. Eating on the beach and watching the sun go down was such a blessing and I was taken back by the beauty of the country and the kindness of its people.

travel week: day one...

sorry it has been a while since I have posted!  we have been on a whirlwind of adventures discovering New Zealand and all its glory.  So we set off on a week long trip down to the southern part of the north Island on January 24.  The 9 hour van drive down wasn't nearly as terrible as I was imagining it would be!  The sights of the countryside were able to distract me from feeling too carsick (which tends to be an issue in my life).  On our way down we stopped for lunch at this place called Taupo.  We stopped at Lake Taupo and it is easily the most beautiful lake I have seen in my life thus far!  The water was crystal clear and a striking blue.  The lake itself is actually a crater hole which makes it pretty sweet.  In the distance we even saw Mt. Doom!!! super cool stuff.  When we arrived in Waikanae, we went to the house of Matt and Angie Swank.  They are Bethel graduates (represent!) and they work for the church in their city.  We had a huge Kiwi- style BBQ and it was sweet as!  in this town we were to stay with host families from the Swank's church so all the families were there for the BBQ as well.  It was a fun time of mingling, stuffing our faces, and relaxing.  As the BBQ came to an end, it was time for our team to split up for the first time since being abroad.  It was much harder than I had expected to say goodbye to everyone, even though it was just for the night!  hugs were exchanged and we went to our temporary homes.  I was to share a host family with the amazing Chelsae Anglin.  We stayed with an amazing family: The Haltons!  Andrew, Sharon, Anna, and Jessie made Chels and I feel right at home.  The first night we stayed up till 11:30 talking about our homes, New Zealand birds, and anything else came to mind!  A cup of hot tea, and bonding till the late hours was a great way to end the day.