UPDATE!

Well... fabulous news: I'm typing to you from MY computer! It decided to start working again... not entirely sure how that works.. but I don't ask questions. I'm just happy to see it turn on every day. Any-who, Dad assures me it will break down again so I gotta get myself to call the Dell guys at some point this week to come and fix it. Just another thing to add to my longgggg To-Do list for the week.

I had another run in with a cockroach the other day... YUCK! It was terrifying. They just love me! I don't know why... it's not cool. Well, either that or just the simple fact that New Zealand does not believe in putting screens on their windows.. So I occasionally get some stray bugs and miscellaneous objects floating into my bedroom. This cockroach was seriously menacing though. I was laying on my bed just typing away on my computer to see someone move out of the corner of my eye. ...What the?? Low and behold there is a nasty, nasty cockroach walking along my computer cord right up to my bed... AHHHHHH!!! Yeah, I ran for the hills. I can't even type about it. I have shivers going down my spine. Ew. From now on my windows are on a strict hour-open schedule and NEVER, EVER after dark. (I've rigged the system...see if any of these buggers get in to my abode ever again..hehe).

On a more interesting (sorry, someone's gotta hear about my bug adventures) and happy note: I just got back from a trip 'up north' (to the very tippy top of New Zealand) a few days ago. It was a lot of fun! I have previously traveled up there during spring break with Ruth so it was great to see some of my favorite places again (aka Piahia) and then we also ventured new terrain. Complete with a trip to the most northern part of New Zealand to Cape Reinga where the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean meet! So, I think that trip about finished off my area of the Northland! I traveled with Brittany (my fellow UMDer and new roommate) and Keith (also a UMDer) and needless to say there were lots of good times, laughs, and beers that were consumed. I will now provide you with a visual representation of some of our journey:

All day excursion on the cape

Cape Reinga-- Tasman Sea

Cape Reinga-- waves to the left is where the oceans meet

Sunset in Mangonui Bay

We had a really great time! Also, in Mangonui (the picture directly above this) we went to a fish shop that was created on top of a dock (you could literally see the water below you, very cool) which is known to have amazing seafood because of how fresh it is soooo Brit and I tried mussels for the first time. I'm not talking about ohh, mussels in seafood chowder or ohh fried mussels (is that a real thing?) -- We had raw mussels that were marinated and holyyyy smokes! They were so so so delicious! I was pretty skeptical.. as I am with most cold seafood but Wow! Quite the experience. So, I've just realized that I am going completely backwards in travel time here but eh... oh well! I run this blog so I guess at the end of the day it's my choice, right? 

The weekend before this epic trip that we took up north was in fact my birthday weekend. Now, my birthday fell on a tuesday this year so obviously that gives me reason to celebrate for basically a whole week straight without anyone being able to argue about it. Therefore, after a week of working hard in school (it was our last week of classes) and having a final exam on that Friday... We decided to head to Auckland for a weekend of fun! I had Brit, Keith, and Katie in tow with me as we ventured the city. (4th largest in New Zealand) and we had a blast. Celebrated my birthday by going to Minus 5 bar on Friday night. It's an ice bar... where everything is exactly as it sounds--- ALL made out of ice. It was very, very cool and pretty classy might I add. We enjoyed our time there and the staff was really great. They all came out to the bars with us after they got off work to celebrate with us which was really sweet of them. Saturday night Katie and I went to a concert at The Powerhouse in Auckland -- we saw Kids of 88 and The Naked and Famous (both New Zealand bands) and it was a sold out crowed. I bought a t-shirt to add to my non-existent collection of suveniors. Gotta start somewhere right? ;) Here's some pictures from the Auckland trip!:

Ready to celebrate my 21st

@ The Ice Bar 

Auckland Waterfront

BEFORE all of this great, fantastic, incredible stuff happened, it was ACTUALLY my birthday. (This backwards thing is kinda funny.. it adds some mystery). My birthday consisted of... studying in the morning. AND THEN, I enjoyed a stroll to the Hamilton Gardens with my iPod (its not really an iPod but no one knows what I'm talking about if I say 'zune') and walked around enjoying all the flowers in bloom and taking some artsy fartsy pictures on a gorgeous New Zealand day. Also, spent some time sitting by a lake in the gardens writing in my journal. It was great to catch up on my writing --- which, now that i think about it, I am falling behind on AGAIN. Oops! After the gardens, Brit and I went shopping and I purchased the outfit I wore out in Auckland *above* and a new black dress with seagulls on it!! It's so awesome (and I'm pretty sure they're actually sparrows...but seagulls is the reason I tried it on.. so we're sticking with that). Then anyone that wasnt studying furiously for exams joined for dinner at Gengy's (my makeshift Benihana for the evening) which is a Mongolian BBQ. It was so delicious.. and everyone ate a lot. Plus, they have pancakes for dessert... what more could you ask for ;) It was a great time and Ruth made me a photo album of our journey so far which was so thoughtful. It definitely will be the thing that I look back on once I am back in Minnesota and makes me tear up haha.

Hamilton Gardens

Artsy on my walk home

Shopping extravaganza!

!!Gengy's Mongolian BBQ!!
(left to right: Ruth, Keith, Denise, Angelica, Brittany, me, Katie)

Seagull dress + Pancakes + birthday cocktail = excellence!!

WoW! I was pretty behind on my adventures! I wonder if anyone still reads this blog.. there's spider webs growing all over it! Now that it is summer I should have ample more time to update. However, no promises because I'm not sure what the internet situation will be over the summer slash if my computer will decide to crap out on me again. But! I'm feeling a weight off my shoulders and much more accomplished. Now, to study for my test on friday a little bit more, enjoy some Chai Tea (I'm obsessed now) and then hit the hay for another intense day of studying tomorrow! Oh! One last thing. I also got my hair done today at the beauty school in town. Brit and I went this morning and were models for two of the students there. We got body waves (aka: a really loose perm that puts some curl slash wave in your hair). Well, Britt's hair was already pretty wavy so hers looks incredible.. and I'm a little nervous for mine to be honest. I put it up in a ponytail so I can't see it at the moment... I think I'll wait until I'm allowed to shower tomorrow to decide whether I should start freaking out or not haha! It was free though.. so I can't be too angry either way. If it just helps my hair from looking like a wet dog after getting out of the ocean this summer then that will be enough to satisfy me!

Until next time,

Peace, Love & Seagulls!

--BreezyDownUnder

Disaster Strikes...

Hard drive cannot be detected.

Yeah, thank you computer for crapping out on me a week before finals start. Awesomeeeeeeeeeeee. I'm so pissed and it really sucks... and blah blah blah. whatever. nothing I can do about it. It's still under warranty so at least thats good.

Just wanted to update you guys on my current situation because it looks like I wont be update my blog as much for the time being. Sweet sweet sweet.

But oooooohhhhhhh do i have stories to tell :) I'll wait til I have more time to do so though-- instead of at 2am on Sunday morning when I have to catch a bus to Kerikeri at 8am. Ahh. So, looks like I'll have to hold out on you guys for awhile longer.

Peace, Love & techno beats (bumping outside the hostel)

--BreezyDownUnder

Beach Bums

Ohhh how I love days off school (aka every tuesday for me for this entire semester) I forgot to fill you in our the adventures we had last tuesday but...basically it consisted of Ruth decided to ditch school and me, her, and Brittany heading to Raglan for a day of surfing. Can't beat that, aye? So awesome. Ruth and I also went there on Sunday afternoon to nurse our hangovers by taking a nap in the sun on the beach. It didn't really work.. but hey, at least I kinda got a tan? Yessss. :) And because I'm feeling so lazy.. here's some pictures to aid in the adventure telling!

Inland Raglan @ High Tide

It's like Root Beer... But better!!

ahhhh, pictures say 1,000 words...thank god :) It's been a good time though. I'm having a lot of fun with photography here.. it's making me really contemplate saving up for a really nice camera once I get home. Plus, how can you not have fun with photography here? Everything is so picturesque. I'm hoping to spend much of this week wandering around Hamilton and seeing what I can get myself into in terms of photography. It's the last week of classes and there will be plenty of need for study breaks this week and I feel as though I haven't seen a whole lot of the city I live in. Also, as a minorrr side note. I turn 21 in exactly 2 minutes. Ain't that nifty!
Ugh. I feel boring today. More tomorrow.

Peace, Love & Photography

--BreezyDownUnder







SIDE NOTE:

Okay, I just need to write this here because I have no where else to do it and if I did what I wanted to do (scream) I would wake up all my flat mates.... looks like caps lock will have to do:

I'M TWENTY-ONE YEARS OLD!!! YESSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For some reason I did not think i would be that excited because nothing changes with me living in New Zealand... but hellll yeahhhhh I'M 21!!!! :) :) :) WOOO HOOOO!!!

Okay, maybe not for another 18 hours in the USofA where I was born but still. STILL! No more incidents with the po-po for Briiiii :) woohoo. Oh that feels good. Yes, yes, yes!!

And yes, in case it sounded like it but you were unsure of yourself... I AM dancing in my bed. Thank you very much. ahhhhh. Minnesota. I cannot wait to come home to you. :)

Thanks for letting me get that out. Now off to sleep so I can wake up and be 21 all over again :)

Pirongia Forest Park

Last weekend Ruth and I headed 50km south to Pirongia Forest Park in hopes of experiencing our first 'real' hike of New Zealand. Complete with my new backpack and all ;) They weighed about 20 lbs each! Saturday was the first day of our hike, setting off at around 10 am for Mount Pirongia Summit. Needless to say... the tramping trails here are apparently no joke. Honestly, half of it was basically rock climbing, the other half complete with swamps of mud up to our ankles. Of course, we were hiking in our running shoes so.. they got filled with mud.. it was really cute :) But we got pretty dirty and had a great time! The sun was out and shining the whole time. We reached the summit around 4:30 pm... that should explain how intense the hike was. It was another 30 minutes hiking to the back country hut that we stayed in and I can promise you that if it had been even a couple minutes farther.. I don't think I would have made it. My legs were jello by the time we got there! I have to say, though, I am so impressed with myself and us as a team for accomplishing that hike so well. It wasn't easy at times and we did a really great job.. and kept a steady pace that worked for both of us. I hope that we will get a chance to do another one before the school year is over.

Reached the top of our first peak!

Mount Pirongia Summit!

The next day, after a rather restless sleep on my part in the back country hut, we set off around the same time (10 am) for the second track of the loop we were doing. This one was supposed to be mildly easier than the day before and take an hour or so less than the first track. Well, to our surprise it ended up being much easier! Although it had some really awesome cliffs that we did some rock climbing on which was great! I think it's for the best that day 2 had an easier terrain... our muscles were shaking the whole way down. I think we worked them to the core the first day. It was pretty interesting.. and also a lot less muddy! I think I have thoroughly used my running shoes to their full potential though. I think I'm in need of a new purchase.. Whoops! It was well worth it though!

Day 2: Rock Climbing

Mount Pirongia :)

Well, TaDa. It was Super fun and I'm really excited that I got such a nice backpack. It was really comfortable to hike with and I definitely know that it will last through my travels after that experience. Let's just say I slipped and fell a few times on our hike... Ruth almost had a heart attack every time... haha! You think she'd be used to the fact that I'm rather clumsy sometimes by now. Ah, I just can't help it. My mind would start to wander... I mean its just us and the rain forest... There's not much else to do other than think about lots and lots of random things.

Anyways, now I am just over at Brittany's flat and we are having a sleepover tonight. We just watched Into the Wild because she has never seen it. For anyone that has not seen it -- Please do. I love that movie so much. It really makes you appreciate the beauty that is around you everywhere in the landscape and in people. It makes me all inspirational and stuff :)

"When you want something in life, you just gotta reach out and grab it." 



Peace, Love, & Beauty
--BreezyDownUnder