New Zealand: week 6- July 17-23

Friday July 17

I worked :)

Saturday July 18

It was a rainy day, so I stayed home. I had a left-over chicken breast from dinner a couple of days before so I cut it up and fried it. It made enough to feed three of us a small lunch. Also made some mashed potatoes because what's fried chicken strips without it? Today was Emerald's first day at her first job. How exciting for her! I went with Suz to pick her up and we went over to the Sylvia Park shopping center and got to see Bonnie for a bit. I really need to go there by myself one day to see what all they have.

Sunday July 19

I went walking around Papakura so I can know more about where I live. It ended up getting very windy (which made it cold) during my walk so I went back home after about an hour.

This one is for you, Michelle. I have not eaten there yet, but I will! :)

Just a small town girl...

...livin' in a Kiwi world ;)

The American Embassy.

I was shocked to see a video store, let alone one that still has good business. Good for them!

See you tomorrow!

Monday July 20

I've been meaning to go to the library and museum in Papakura and today seemed like a good day for it. It was very interesting to see how much history has been collected in such a short amount of time.

If you talk to people who have lived here all their lives, I'm sure they'd have a lot to say about how much their tiny town has grown.

Letters to home.

How funny is it that children asked Santa for swim shorts (because Christmas is in the summer.) 

In case you are interested in the settlements...

I'd like to see a kiwi bird that's not...stuffed.

As part of the museum's exhibit, they have on display WWII artifacts and history about New Zealand's involvement in the war.

The medical box in the picture is actually Italian, but New Zealand medics would have a box similar to that.

The following are short videos showing the displays instead of taking a picture of every single thing.

I made cinnamon rolls last week and they were a hit. So when they asked if I'd make them again of course I said yes.

Also made some fajitas...no big deal.

Tuesday July 21 & Wednesday July 22

Worked :) Also found out that we get paid weekly…woo-hoo! Money! :)

Thursday July 23

I met with my friend, Andy, in the city. We took the ferry to Rangitoto island for our 3 hour outdoor activity. About the island...long story short, the island wasn't there until about 600 years ago when a volcano erupted. There's chunks of lava everywhere and trees that have grown up around it. We hiked nearly an hour to the summit and looked into the crater. From the summit, we had a beautiful view of other islands nearby and the city. We went thru lava caves before we hiked back down to catch the ferry back to Auckland. It was a nice day and I was glad we got to meet up before he moves to Sydney. Good luck on your next adventure, Andy!

I'm unnecessarily prepared for a freezing day, yet somehow think I wouldn't need my water bottle that I always have with me for a hike. Glad Andy thought to bring two bottles!

A bit of information about how the island was formed.

View of another nearby island.

View of the city.

Lava rocks everywhere, but somehow trees were still able to grow.

That is a crater behind me.

Hard to believe that's an actual background, isn't it?

Lava cave.

Still amused a flashlight is called a torch...I read we'd need one for this part of the hike and thought, "but won't it be dangerous to light a fire.......oh. Right...torch=flashlight."

View of the island as we were walking to the ferry.

The island from the ferry...we climbed to the top of that thing :)

It's been a good week. Now that I have a bit of income generating, I will attempt to stop being so lazy on my off days and actually make plans to do stuff. I didn't exactly come here to sleep my time away, which I'm guilty of doing. Work has been going really well and I am still liking what I do and the people I work with. The bus situation isn't as annoying as it was at the beginning. It really just is what it is. Thinking maybe I'll buy a car if I ever make and keep enough money when it comes time to start traveling around the country. So that probably means ditching the bike idea. And let's be honest here, the thought of riding a bike for 40 minutes to work and 40 minutes back sounds like a nightmare, but riding it into town wouldn't be so bad. Just a hassle. Every day may not be interesting to read about because I'll be working, but I'll make the days I'm not working worth the read.

Lately, I've been watching this show with Suz and the girls called "Miranda." It's a British comedy show…you know what, just watch this. I find it very funny. Enjoy!