Mountain biking and other such nonsense

Last weekend, I went on a mountain biking trip with the MTBclub to Wanaka and Queenstown. Before I go into any detail, it was one of the most fun trips I have ever been on! To begin with, we left at 8am Saturday morning (which really meant around 10 when everyone was drug out of bed) and drove 3 hours to Wanaka. The road was a 'main road' but was only 2 lanes that wound through the central Otago countryside. The whole area is very dry, with odd rock features and large, rolling hills. The alps could be seen in the distance as we got closer to Wanaka, which is nestled in a little valley next to Laka Wanaka- a huge lake surrounded by mountains. Absolutely gorgeous.

We jumped right on our bikes, there were about 10 people from Uni and one we met there, and rode for a good 4 hours. The trails were relatively short but there were so many, we just went up and down. There were huge jumps that had been built, but were being demolished in an attempt to keep people safer. Several of the tracks were for "racing," and were built with 2 single tracks running side-by-side with inside and outside berms. What a blast! There was even a section called the "toilet bowl" which is a super steep hairpin turn into a rolling drop- it's actually safer at that point not to hit the brakes and just ride it out. That night, we grabbed some dinner and then reeked havoc around town- playing on the playgrounds by the lake and throwing soccer balls at each other at the skatepark.

The next morning we drove another hour to Qweenstown, which is also a town in a valley with a huge lake surrounded by mountains. Queenstown really reminded me of Jackson Hole- kind of touristy with lots of expensive shops and outdoor places. The most common attractions are bungy jumping, water sports, biking and sky diving. We drove to a place called "7 mile" which has many man-made obstacles along the tracks there. After a brutal climb up, we picked one of 3 tracks (we would do all that day) and headed down. Most of the tracks were aimed at downhill/freeriders so there wasn't much climbing besides that first uphill. There were lots of super steep rock-drops, and even a few skinnies (narrow bridges made with logs, about 6-12in wide)! I was having a really great day, bombing hills, taking jumps and riding the skinnies- no major crashes :) After a good 3 hours, we all lay out on the beach for a while.

On the way home, we stopped in Alexandra (about 2 hours from Dunedin) to have tea at one of the kid's houses. His mom made us scones and hot cross buns, what a treat. Overall, it was a fantastic weekend! I can't wait to get back out there for another ride, although I'm definitely still feeling my legs.

This weekend, I'm taking a Phundamentals MTB skills clinic, so I hope to learn a little bit more about the steep terrain down here, which I'm not too comfortable with yet. Only 4 days of classes this week, 3 next week. Another week of class, then Uni Games April14-17 and spring break the following week. Natalie, and a couple other girls are planning on hiring a car to roadtrip all over the south island for break, hitting up the glaciers and the west coast. I'll be sure to take lots of pictures. Hope all is well in the states!

People and Classes

So, the first week of classes is over and life is still a whirlwind right now! I am very intrigued by my biological anthropology class- in lab we each had a 1/2 skeleton (actual bones) and a worksheet packet. The professor just turned us loose to explore the bones and joints, what an opprotunity! it's still strange to have such large classes, but I'm sure I'll get used to it in due time- and be all the more thankful for the small classes and professor interaction at UR. There are about 4 people that have to be emailed first, before you can even contact the professor personally. The environmental history class is a lot of fun, although the reading is quite intensive. Each week not only are there articles and a textbook to read, but there are 5 or more library books to read small sections of. So far we have had an environmental historian and a Maori studies professor teach lectures, and the material is fascinating. The Maori professor asked the class why north was "up" on maps? If explorers had reached NZ first, do you think north would be "down"? Interesting to think about.

The flat is finally complete, Becky is here now after spending most of the pre-lecture time away on geology fieldtrips. We have a great system of dinners worked out and there is a farmers market on weekends where we load up on fruits and veges (as they are spelled here).

I am meeting some wonderful Kiwis as well! The other students in the mountain biking club are such a blast to hang out with! I went on my first ride here with the club, and after just an intro to many of the local trails, we met up on a soccer field and played mtb soccer- exactly as you are probably imagining it! about 15-20 bikes riding around and people kicking or slidding into the ball to (sort of) move it around the field. There was no "out" so the game went all over. Hilarious.

That night, I went to my first major rugby game. I think it was a semi-pro team, kind of like the Richmond Kickers or the Idaho Falls Padres. The Highlanders were, as you can expect, huge. There is a 200lb minimum to play on the team! It rained all night but everyone was dressed up in blue, gold and maroon and having a blast. There were thousands of people there! What a fascinating game, and I still have no idea what the rules or strategies are.

I also tried out for the Otago water polo team. There were 37 girls there for a team of 13, and many many very good players. I made the team (yay!) and I now get the chance to represent University of Otago at the University Games in April. I'm stoked and I'm sure I will learn a ton from these girls, all of whom have some incredible polo abilities.

In addition to climbing at the little boulder gym, Room14, several of the girls here in Willowbank flats have joined a Yoga class a couple nights a week. It's an interesting style, one in which the poses are held for several minutes (up to 10) and the class runs about 2 hours. Needless to say, I am very "stiff" as the instructor calls it. I am also very very "sore," as I call it.

Anyway, another week of classes coming up and I have a lot of studying to do! There are no real assignments and only 1 or 2 tests for each class all year. But, it seems like there is just so much information- I really have to make sure I stay on top of it. I have included several "people" pictures, just to give you some perspective.

(the 4 of us at the Cadbury Factory)

(Martin and I on the Taieri Gorge Train)
(Natalie and I at Tunnel Beach)
(The 4 of us at Tunnel Beach)
(the flat + 2 neighbors + Victoria the Royal Albatross)

Pre-Semester Adventures (Lots of Photos)

The four of us (Martin, Ollie, Natalie and me) are becoming quite the explorers! Before lectures started, we went on 3 major expeditions to see the Otago area. To begin with, we went on the International Student Tairei Gorge Train trip, where we spent a day on an old train and meandered our way through Otago. It was gorgeous, and really reminded me a lot of the west- like the Black Hills, SD and mid-Idaho areas. It took all day and they had a bbq set up for us on the way back (vegetarian included- although there were so many that the veg line took longer than the carnivore lines!).
A few days later, we headed to Tunnel Beach, rumored to be one of the most beautiful beaches in the area- and where some other students had seen some penguin nests! We took a $2 bus most of the way, then a 1.5km walk along some unpaved country roads lead us to a steep steep walking trail down to the beach. The coastline was just stunning- large cliff faces and blue-green water. We walked out on top of the rock features and had lunch, the whole time looking out over the whole area. Next we headed down a man-made tunnel (hense the name) to the beach below. Unfortunately it was high tide so there was little beach to walk around. We jumped around on the rocks, and saw some really strange seaweed. They look like huge octupus or squid, about 10 feet or so long and all rubbery. The inside is goo, and there are 20 some odd "tentacles." So strange. However, just as we were about to leave, a little (and very rare) Fiordland penguin came ashore and started hopping around on the rocks! it was incredible to actually see a penguin in the wild.

Our third major adventure was a guided tour to the Otago Peninsula to see Royal Albatross, Seals, Sea Lions, and of course, more penguins! The day started with a trip the the Albatross Colony- the only mainland nesting colony in the world. These birds are so majestic- it's almost difficult to believe that they're real! They have up to a 3meter wingspan and once they are old enough to fly off on their own, they may not touch land again for 3-5 years. Albatross from this colony have been tracked all over the southern hemisphere, like Chili and South Africa. Following that, we hiked inland to the Fur Seal mating colony, which was covered in little pups and lounging adults. They were so cute and the pups were all about the play time, wrestling in pools and chasing eachother across the rocks. It was such a sureal experience, to be looking down at hundreds of seals all over the rocks. Such a reality check to realize how small we are in the grand scheme of things. Finally, we hiked over to a yellow-eyed penguin colony (which happens to share it's area with a sheep farm). Along the way we ran into some Sea Lions coming in from the water - they are absolutely massive! but so graceful in their movements.

(flying adult Royal Albatross)

(fur seal colony)(fur seal coming in from the water)
(rare female sea lion on the beach)
(yellow-eyed penguin)(Otago in a picture!)

Classes start next week and we probably won't have much time for traveling. I'll let you know how the first week of classes and I'll post another blog with pictures of people! Hope all is well in the states :)