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 :)

Day 6

We went on a hike to the top of Mt. Cargill, which was an hour walk through the streets and then a 3 hour roundtrip trail. The terrain was steep, but well kept and the scenery was breathtaking. Near the bottom of the trail head, there was a map of the single-track mountain biking in the area - which was significant. When I finally get my bike finished, I'll have to ride around that area. They have held several mountain biking national races there, so it's bound to be technical and tough. I'm pretty excited about it.

At the top of the hike, you could see the entire city, the bay, the peninsula, and several miles inland.




Orientation for University is starting this week, and it is HUGE! There are several bands playing each day, tents set up all across campus, and multiple events going on throughout the week. Most are pretty expensive (like $25), so I'll stick to the free stuff. Tomorrow is Clubs and Societies day, where I can sign up for the sports clubs. In addition to mountain biking, I'm going to sign up for the water polo tryouts. They select a team to participate in the National University Games later in the semester, and it would be a blast. Wish me luck!

Yesterday, we went on a tour of the Cadbury Chocolate factory, which was yummy. The whole place smelled so good, but I'm sure the workers get sick of it pretty quickly. At least we got lots of free samples. Thursday, we will be going to the beaches, as long as the weather holds out. The ozone layer is really thin here, so it's easy to burn. They even have 70spf here! Hopefully my 30 will hold out. Friday is when we attend "primary lectures", which will tell us where our classes will be held and who our professors are. Saturday, we will be taking a guided tour of the peninsula, where we should get to see albatross and penguins!

That's all I got right now, miss you all!

Day 4

I'm almost finished building up my bike again, I just need some wheels and a chain. Hopefully, I can get them cheap and then don't have to worry about breaking them.

Now that I have had some time with the flatmates, we are all getting along so well! We've been having all these long (multiple hour) heart-to-hearts, about anything from politics to movies. Martin, the kid from Sweden, I swear is Ross in a few years. They could be related; he is tall, lanky, red hair pulled back in a pony tail and they even have many of the same mannerisms. He plays lots of video/comp games and likes strange music and movies. no offense, ross. Anyway, it's just really weird.

I successfully survived course approval, which was long and incredibly convoluted. You first have to pick up a course approval form, with a preselected schedule. Then you tramp all over campus, wait in long lines, and get the dept heads to sign each of your course selections. Next, you get the form checked by a selection volunteer, which sends you to a computer lab where they enter your information and any changes you have made to your schedule. If there are any time conflicts (which occur frequently), they send you to yet another computer lab where they try to rectify them. If that fails, you go back to step 2, choose another class, and go get the required signature. It took several hours. I finally got a schedule, which I hope will be an interesting one:

Intro to Biological Anthropology (incl forensic anthropology)
Cellular and Molecular Biology
Biological Chemistry
Intro to Economics

Little nervous for taking so many science classes, but two of them are 1st year courses, so I hope to not have too much trouble.

The weather has been rainy and cold since I arrived, but this morning was sunny and only a bit breezy. We are going to go on a hike to the top of the surrounding hills, to get a good view of the peninsula and Dunedin. I'll post pictures when I can.

Hope all is well at home, miss you all.

Day 1

I arrived in Auckland at 430am, 2 days after I left DC. The plane was nice enough; it had decent legroom and a personal TV system with a large selection of movies and series. I ended up watching Atonement, after which I cried (embarrassing; luckily, most people were asleep), and several episodes of CSI and Cold Case. While waiting at the gate for the plane to Dunedin, I ran into Spenser, which was a great surprise. It was a bit of a relief to have someone I knew around. We got a shuttle to our respective flats, which first took us all over the city while it dropped off the other 7 people in the bus. The ride was about 45min, taking us through the countryside- green rolling hills and acres of farmland. It was a little chilly today, only because it was windy and overcast. Kiwi locals said it never really snows here, so it can’t get but so cold (famous last words, right?)

My flat is #24 at 8 Willowbank, room 5 on the third floor (I have a balcony! See picture). The previous tenant in this room left me a nice note, his name is Patrick from Clemson University. There are 4 other people living here: Oliver (Germany), Martin (Sweden) and Becky (US) live on the first 2 floors. Sharing my floor is Natalie from Canada, and so far we are getting along really well. She and I attended a campus tour together and hung out most of the day.

I just got back from the grocery store which is a couple blocks south of here. Somewhat cheap, although it is strange what is more expensive than what; example: peanut butter is ~$3 for one jar. Fortunately, the NZ$ is cheaper than US$ (does that make sense?). Campus is pretty spread out, and most shops close around 5pm. There are a few 24/7 computer labs around, but by Saturday we will have internet here.

When we came back from our tour, and dinner at a cute Vegan café, the rest of our flatmates were hanging out in the lounge with a neighbor, Kelly. All are either vegetarian or vegan and two are lactose intolerant. Fun cooking times ahead! Everyone is into hiking (or tramping as they call it here), and Kelly climbs. Woot! She was upset I didn’t bring my harness, but, I’m sure I’ll manage… it isn’t like this is a great spot for bouldering.

Tomorrow we start our course selection, and I think my schedule should be pretty, well, easy. I’m looking to take a couple Māori classes, one in Geology, maybe environmental something or other, and of course, Cellular and Molecular Bio – just so I don’t have to take it at UR. We are also getting our student ID cards, which gives us internet access and local discounts. Next week we will be spending time in orientations and club fairs. I’m hoping to join the MTB and Water Polo clubs; I think they would keep me quite busy. I shipped my bike here in pieces, and although I need to get wheels, a headset, chain…and a helmet, I should have it built back up in a week or so.

I’m exhausted, we’re going to watch a movie and I hope I don’t fall asleep. Accents here are funny. Although I have to remember, that I’m the one with the accent.