In New Zealand Halloween is nothing. There are a few parties here and there, but overall you see very few people dressed up and even less people who have decorated. This year was different. Michelle and I bought some decorations and I surprised my other flat mates with spiderwebs, banners, and skeletons when they came home from work! They pretended to think I was a dork, but I know they actually liked it. We also carved a jack-o-lantern, which you can see in my video tour of the house, and I taught Michelle how to bob for apples!!
She'd never been trick-or treating before either, and even though we are both in our 20's, I found that no excuse not to get free candy. So, we made some costumes out of stuff from the house and went trick-or-treating!! Look at all the treats we got! Of course we got the, "Aren't you all a bit old for this?" But they gave us treats anyways! There were a few people who said, "Sorry, we don't have anything; we didn't know it was Halloween." And then there was one lady who answered the door and said, "Sorry girls I don't have any lollies, but you all look old enough for a drink!" She gave us each a glass of wine and we stood on her porch chatting until we were finished!! That would never happen in America!!
Road Trip Part 2:
I have a friend from UF who is living in Auckland, about 1.5 hours north of Hamilton. She's also here on a working holiday and after a friend told us we were both in the same country, we decided we should meet up. I had a few days off work, so she took a bus down to Hamilton and off we went. Michelle lent me her car, so that means I drove on the opposite of the road and on the opposite side of the car. Not only that, but it was a stick shift so I had to get use to shifting with my left hand! Anyways, Michelle and I (my friend from UF name is also Michelle just to make things confusing!) went off for a 3 days adventure. Our first stop was Waitomo. When we first got there we went exploring in the area and found Marokopa Falls. Sooo beautiful and not even a major sight in the area! The next morning we went Black Water Rafting!! We suited up in a full on wet suit, grabbed a tube and floated down a river that passed through a massive cave. We jumped down mini waterfalls and gazed at thousands and thousands of glow worms. They call it black wafter rafting because the water looks black since it is so dark in there.
After Waitomo we drove to Rotorua, known as a big tourist city in the north island. Our first day there we took a walk around the lake and some of the town. That evening we went to a Maori cultural show. The Maoris are the native people to New Zealand. The show included a performance of some of their dance and dress as well as a dinner. I made a video of one f their most famous chants/dances.
The following day we went Zorbing!! Let me explain. Basically you are put into a huge ball and then you roll down a hill. We went for the zorbing with water inside so that we could slip-slide around. It may look strange, but it was quit fun!!
We also walked around some of the parks. Rotorua is a geothermal area, so there are many mud pools, geysers, and thermal baths. The place smelled like sulfur, but it was worth it. We found one place where a hot stream and a cold spring met. You could sit it one area that felt like a super hot spa and then move over a couple of feet and feel like you are going to freeze. The sides were also made of mud that is known to do wonders for your skin, so I made my own mud mask. I don't know if it actually helped much, but it felt good!
Hamilton:
During the weekends, I usually end up getting outside and seeing more of Hamilton. One Saturday Michelle and I road our bikes to Lake Hamilton and took a walk around.
This past weekend we ran a 12K run called "Around the Bridges". Hamilton is built around a river that runs right down the middle. So the run followed once side of the river, we crossed one of the bridges, and then ran along the other side. It was Michelle's first race, so I was more excited then normal.
That's what I've been up to the last few weeks. Thanksgiving is coming and you can expect I'll teach them another American lesson. Then Christmas of course!!
