Spring Break

This semester is just flying by! Right now I am enjoying two weeks off for spring break. It's not really that much of a break for me since I have to grade essays and revise four chapters of my thesis. But I do get to sleep in everyday, so no complaints here! The other nice thing is that spring is on the way! We've been having increased amounts of sunlight and warmer weather which is a welcome change from the cold and rain we've had for months now.

Here are just a few last pictures from trip to the South Island. This is Milford Sound:

This is what happens when fresh water and sea water meet.

Recent Playlist:

"Let It Be Me" and "You Are the Best Thing" by Ray LaMontagne

"Creature Fear" and "The Wolves" by Bon Iver

"While You Were Sleeping" and "Ash Wednesday" by Elvis Perkins

"The Big Guns" and "Handle With Care" by Jenny Lewis

"I Will Explode" and "Better to Be" by Liam Finn

"Daughter" and "Grey In L.A." by Loudon Wainwright III

"Ne Me Quitte Pas" and "The Call" by Regina Spektor

Pictures from Trip, Part Four

So here are some pictures from Queenstown!

Take the gondola up for some sweet views...


...like this one!

This is a picture of one of the Mirror Lakes.

Get it?

Pictures from Trip, Part 3

Here are some pictures from my trip:
This is the Franz Josef Glacier on the west coast of the South Island.
The glacier cut this riverbed over thousands of years...


And today we get to hike on the glacier!





The ice was beautiful! It was almost transparent in some places...


Some crazy guys jumped into this pool of icy cold water in only their undershorts!

Pictures from Trip, Part 2

Here are some pictures I took during the train ride through the mountains from Christchurch to Greymouth:

Still more to come!

Pictures from Trip, Part Uno

Here are some pictures of my trip! This is where I started and finished my two week journey.

This is the Cathedral in Christchurch:

And this the Avon River.

I went for a boat ride on it, which is called punting. The punter was also American which was a funny coincidence.

Ok, so here is my funny story from Christchurch: So all growing up (and even today) when preparing for a trip my Mom would always remind me to pack extra underwear. Which I always laughed at because who forgets underwear when packing for a trip?! Maybe toothpaste, but not underwear. Well, embarrassingly enough,that's exactly what I did. I quickly realized it after landing in Christchurch, so instead of sightseeing, one whole morning was spent shopping in order to correct my mistake.

Um, awkward...

Anyway....

A few hours away from Christchurch you can visit the Akoroa Harbour and see the famous Hector's Dolphins.

By snapping away at my camera I did manage to get this money shot of a dolphin swimming next to our boat:

Cute! I shall call him Squishy, and he shall be my Squishy.

More pictures are on the way, but for now I need to go to bed!

Pics from Lake Taupo and Mt Taranaki

So here are some trips from the road trip I took with friends a few weeks ago:

Huka Falls


Orokai Korako: This is a geothermal park and in this picture you are actually seeing steam come out of the ground!


These are some of my traveling buddies at another geothermal area called Craters of the Moon.

It did not really look like the moon.

This is a spot called the Three Sisters. We stopped here when my friend puked in the car.


We wanted to see Mt. Taranaki but there was too much mist. This is a picture I took from a "scenic viewpoint".

Back from Traveling

Yes, I am back from traveling! I have a zillion pictures just waiting to be loaded up on to the blog, but unfortunately, my internet connection is not cooperating. Instead, let me regale you with stories and promise to get some visuals to accompany them soon:

Taupo and Taranaki
The highlights were seeing geological stuff, which means geysers and bubbling mud and steam coming out of the ground. We visited two different parks where you can see this stuff and it was amazing, except it rained the whole day and we got soaked. In fact, the bad weather kept us from seeing Mt. Taranaki, except shrouded in mysterious fog.
Low points were when we had a fender bender with our rental car, and when one of the guys laughed so hard that he puked out the window of the car. Gross.

Christchurch
Loved this town! They have a pretty nice cultural center where I got to go to the art museum and theater. I could not pass up the chance to see Arsenic and Old Lace on stage again. Rent the movie with Cary Grant if you've never seen it--it's hilarious!
I also took a day trip where I got to see the famous Hector's dolphins (awesome picture forthcoming!), which I believe are native to New Zealand. They much smaller than other species of dolphins, so that much cuter.

TranzAlpine
I took the train across the mountains from Christchurch to the west coast of New Zealand---really great views of snow and mountains!

Milford Sound
I took a boat ride on a rainy/misty day but it turned out great because you get some really great light and photos of this waterway to the sea.

In general, it was cold but lovely in the South Island, and it was a nice relaxing trip before school gets going again. I'll be tutoring for four sessions this semester and finishing my thesis! Check back soon for some more stories with pictures!