The day I fell in love with NZ

We rode all day around the Canterbury Plain, stopped in Methven for morning coffee and ended up in Gore Bay for sunset....absolutely GORGEOUS way to see the country....The weather was completely mint and we even got to visit a meadery (yes, where they make mead)!! I would totally recommend seeing NZ on a bike in Spring/Summer. And now I am completely taken with the notion of being bike licensed as well....

My best friend Princess Yvonne
Mr. Elliott, engineer extraordinairre

Men getting ready to sea cast on the pebble beach to Akaroa




Akaroa pier, one rainy Sunday afternoon...

Well, in the meantime...a lesson in Kiwi

Yes, it's been four months since the last entry and yes, heaps has been happeneing, which is why I've been remiss. Where to even start...I've been keeping up with my mysapce blog, but that one is full of all the emotional and psychological things that I've been slogging through here, so it feels a little too personal for Rotarians and casual acquaintances...but, I'll include the link anyhow, just in case you get heaps curious.

http://www.myspace.com/crazynakedgirl

(that's an old college joke from a friend. I warned you!!! :)

For now, I'll just make a nice list of Kiwisms for your enjoyment and amusement.

"Cheap as chips"

Translation: That is very inexpensive.

"Good as gold"

Translation: Everything is cool.

"Sweet as..."

Translation: Things as they stand are fine and agreeable to me.

"Heaps"

Translation: Lots or very. i.e. "It's heaps expensive!" or "I like her heaps!"

"Cheers, mate"

Translation: Thanks heaps.

"Down the gurgler"

Translation: Things are going to hell in a handbasket.

"Rattle ya dags"

Translation: Get your rear in gear.

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I will endeavour to include other charming Kiwi turns of phrase throughout the rest of my stay here...they usually have one or two fascinating ways of using English that I have never heard, per DAY!

New Zealand

Cloudy land of sun burnt hills,
Clutching at inverted air,
Spinning weather like Arlichino
In his patchwork suit,
Is a harbinger of balance…
A sonnet weighing the soul
As it lists right,
Then left, seeking its level
On seasons that whirl through a day,
Forcing nostrils open
To flare and contract at the scent of snow
And peonies.

ANZAC Day

6.30 am, the dawn has not yet broken over Cathedral Square as hundreds gather to remember the lives lost by New Zealanders since WWII at Gallipolli. Parents, children, old vetrans and current service members all crowd the pavement to sing hymns to the memory of soldiers lost. All is still and silent except for the cracking report of guns saluting the past and looking forward to a more peaceful future.

The Little Nippers

So here they are, in all their glory...the bike gangsters of Christchurch. Pretty fierce huh?

Aoteoroa-Land of the Long White Cloud....

Well, we are making determined strides into Autumn here....yesterday my host Rotary club held their annual duathalon for all the children in Christchurch ...around a thousand showed up(!), and it was FREEZING! We all had on about 75 layers of clothing, but by the time the last determined biker peddled by we were sweating up a storm! That afternoon, the skies filled up with clouds and now, this morning, it is raining cats and dogs :)

We are on our term break at Uni right now and I am extremely glad that it is raining because I have TONS of reading and writing to do on my papers which are due in two weeks! Less distraction with bad weather you know.

There is a Bikram yoga studio around the corner from my house, that's the hot yoga you do in a steaming room, which I have decided to try as a study break. It's also right next to a carving studio which is owned by an amazingly talented one armed Maori carver named John. We had a brilliant conversation about the difference between "real" Maori history and what they sell to the tourists...I felt very fortunate to have such a first hand jaw with someone who is in the know!

Thought I'd post some pics from the big duathalon yesterday for everyone to check out...it was a blast!