Linda's NZ blog

If you're ever in Nelson, go to the House of Ales and order this:



French martini - made with vodka, chambord, and pineapple juice (pic by Roz)

I had it in JUNE, and I still remember how good it was!

Soakin it up at Hanmer Springs.


Grant and I looking for the elusive GIANT trout.


The Night of Infamy with Roz and Andy. *sigh*

(Pics from Roz)

Okay, so we've established I am already in the States and all that, but as I said, I am going to continue to post pics to keep this blog alive and to keep it fun.

Here are some pics from my adventures in Auckland with Derek and his girl, Sarah.

Linda Kong begins to ascend the Sky Tower - muahahahaha


Holy damn, am I bundled up here. Long pants, beanie, sweater (no doubt), fleece, wool socks, and hiking boots. Oooh, stylish. That make me feel incredibly toasty right now...sheeesh. But it was necessary then. (I don't think I am going to adapt to summer very well here...)


What's up my homies? Sarah and I posin' for the camera at a really nice bar.


Oh look, Linda's got another beer in here hand - this time it's in Devonport and the beer is almost as big as her head! Way to celebrate!!!

Greetings, faithful readers! :-p

I am back in New Hampshire, USA, busily cleaning up my room, unpacking and combatting jetlag. But it is good to be home, though I know I left a small piece of me back in Aotearoa. I miss it already.

Anyway, I am going to keep this blog open because I will periodically post more pictures from different parts of the trip.

So, stay tuned.

Cheers,
Linda

Me in a tree.


( More entertainment )

This is my last night in New Zealand. *sigh* I am getting up wicked early tomorrow morning...but it will be SOOOO nice to be home again! (However, I already want to come back here!)

PS: Just for Derek: Hu da dak!

Air New Zealand All Blacks ad


Funny as hell Mr. T ad...is this aired in America?

I have been in Auckland for a day and a half. The thing about big cities in NZ and there's really not very many of them, is that they don't sprawl like American cities for miles from the city center...once you get so far out, everything is rich and green again, and there are sheep and cattle grazing in the open paddocks. I really like that.

Yesterday, Chris picked me up at the airport and took me to One Tree Hill before we got to his and his wife's place in Ellerslie. One Tree Hill may sound familiar to U2 fans. This is what the song (which I love) on the Joshua Tree album is named for. There was a tree there, but was felled after protestors got to it and it couldn't survive. Now I suppose it's really-tall-monument-but-no-tree-hill. *ahem* Anyway, there was a great view of the Auckland skyline and both coasts from the summit.

Today I took the Tranzscenic Overlander to Otorohanga, and then a shuttle (the Otorohanga Taxi Shuttle) to Waitomo. The driver/owner of the shuttle service, Mr. Miller, was fantastic, and if you get to NZ and make it down to the Waitomo Caves, I recommend his service. Anyway, I saw the glowworm caves, which are awesome!! The glowworms are actually the larval stage of an insect and their rear ends glow in a similar way to fireflies. They are the only feeding stages of the insect's lifecycle. I don't have the pamphlet so I don't remember the scientific name, but if you google New Zealand glowworm, which I am too lazy to do right now (Hey, it's been a long day), you could find it.

Anyway, after the glowworm caves, I went all geeky and checked out the Museum of Caves in Waitomo - man, they shoved a lot of stuff into a small exhibition area. Then I went to the tavern next door and had a beer plus fish and chips. Yum! I also heard a great song that I have no idea of the title or the artist.

The shuttle picked us up and took us back to Otorohanga where we saw the Kiwi House and Native bird park and I saw my first live kiwi! OMG SO CUTE! I want one!!! :-D Anyway, there were also keas, kakas, native ducks, and all sorts of awesome creatures.

I bought a few souvenirs, including a kiwi statuette (he's dressed in tramping boots, a rugby shirt, and he's holding a rugby ball!) and a large NZ tea towel, which I'd like to hang on the pantry door back home if the roomies don't mind...that door is way too blank, unless Danielle's done something about that. :)

Anyway, our train back to Auckland was an *hour* late, but Mr. Miller let us sit in his taxi and chat with him. Us being Isaac, a student from Korea who was learning English in NZ, and myself. It was a great trip!

Okay, now for pictures!
( Caves, hobbity things, and birds...oh my! )

PS: I killed the LCD screen on my camera...to the point where I can't see what I am taking pictures of...and it is permanently disabled. However my camera will still take pictures. All of the ones taken above, with the exception of OTH, where taken with a broken screen. C'est la vie. It is time for a new camera, anyway...(hint: my birthday is December 8, in case you were wondering...hehe).

Here I am in Nelson airport, checking email and waiting for my flight to Auckland to board. It'll be a quick one, and there I will meet Chris. I have a few days of traveling about with friends and shuffling from one house to another before I fly home to the States.

I will miss it here, but I am glad I going to be sleeping in my own bed in a matter of days.

<3 to all.

This is my last day at Cawthron. I am really going to miss it here, along with everyone I've had the pleasure of meeting and working with. I really hope my future holds a return visit back here.

I love NZ.

Some good news I heard about today is that the article I wrote for the RI Naturalist will be out soon (may be front page too!). Also, my abstract for the International Invasive Sea Squirt Conference - II in PEI has been accepted. That's more than awesome. :) I am presenting the data I gathered while here.

I am going to go out with folks from work to the Spring and Fern for drinks and there will be possible Thai(?) takeaways later on.

Off to Auckland tomorrow to visit former Cawthronite Chris, see the glow-worm caves via the train, then visit Derek and Sarah and see the Kelly Tarlton aquarium and other good places with them.

The fun hasn't ended yet.

Cheers,
Linder

I have some catching up to do, I guess.

Well, last weekend Roz and I did a tiki tour of the top portion of the South Island. We took the Intercity Bus from Nelson to Blenheim and the Tranzcoastal from Blenheim to Christchurch on Friday. On Friday night, we stayed with Jonah at his flat after having a few beers and some sushi.

On Saturday, we took the Tranzalpine from Christchurch to Greymouth. Greymouth is called that for a reason (other than being at the mouth of the Grey River…) – it was cold, windy, rainy, and grey. Very grey. If I had “Grey Street” or “Grey Sky Eyes” playing on my iPod there, it would have made the whole situation even more perfect. However, Roz and I made the best of it, though we were tired and in sour moods from not being able to sit next to each other, having the train delayed about an hour, and just having less than wonderful experiences. Some lady spilled Roz’s tea all over the place, and I had a little kid take over most of the table with his toys. Oh well. The scenery was still fantastic.

We also stayed at a pretty nice backpackers, Neptune Backpackers. It used to be an old hotel and was quite cozy, I thought.

On Sunday morning, I met a handsome European (German?) guy who was wearing a Penn State sweatshirt, so that made me happy. I told him I grew up in a town about an hour’s drive from there. He went there for a year while working on a graduate degree.

Roz and I sat in a café while it rained some more (sigh) and did work. Then we caught the Intercity from Greymouth back to Nelson, where we stopped to see the Pancake Rocks in Punakaiki and at a fantastic little café in Murchison with delicious wedges and burgers.

On Monday, I gave my seminar. I think it went all right. All the chairs were filled and I got a lot of questions, and it spurned some good discussion.

Today, a MSc student who will be starting in November visited Baz and asked me questions and I showed her some techniques in the lab. I am excited that she’s working on Dv larval biology. I hope to keep in touch with her about it.

I have one more batch of mussels to weigh tomorrow and it’s all data crunching from here on out.

I have a short time left here in Nelson. I am writing this on Tuesday evening on my laptop and will post in on Wednesday morning, though I suppose most of my readers will actually read this Tuesday evening. Creepy. Anyway, I fly to Auckland on Friday, spend time with another colleague up there, probably hit up the Waitomo Caves on Saturday, then sleep on Derek’s couch Sunday and Monday nights, then fly back to the States on Tuesday.

I have mixed feelings about going back. I am really going to miss this place, but there are a lot of people I am excited to see and it will be SO nice to sleep in my own bed in my own home again. I do miss my roomies.
I was listening to Carbon Leaf’s “Changeless” earlier and the lyrics hit me hard. For so many reasons.

“Come my friends to share some wine
To share some laughs and last goodbyes
My photographs of these years
Will make me laugh through the tears

What are the odds?
What are the odds this ends and we don’t meet again?
What are the odds?
What are the odds that I will miss your smile?”

Wow. Yeah, almost too perfect for this once-again leaving and moving on with my life. It happens over and over again – this parting and hoping to see each other again. I suppose that’s a hard fact of life and why treasuring the relationships we have with each other on a daily basis may seem challenging but are important. Those relationships inevitably end somehow.

“What are the odds this ends and we don’t meet again?”

Before I start getting too sappy and pathetic, on with the pictures, eh?

( Tiki tour pics here )

I just wanted to blog from somewhere other than my office. I am sitting in a travel cyber cafe with Roz in Blenheim. We caught the Intercity bus in Nelson at 8:30 this morning and arrived here around 10ish. We'll be catching the Tranzcoastal train to Christchurch and hang out with fellow EAPSI-er, Jonah. Then early tomorrow morning we are catching the Tranzalpine to Greymouth and will explore the West Coast. Back in Nelson on Sunday evening. It should be a good time.

We had breakfast (French toast and eggs Benedict) at the Living Room Cafe and Deli...mmmmm.

Oh yeah, so I don't forget this story...Roz and I were on the bus and kept hearing this really short snippet of music that we thought was part of the intercom system and we'd jam to it and giggle every time. It happened on a regular basis, and we started to wonder why we kept hearing it. There was a guy asleep on the seats behind us, and we wondered if it were his cell phone ringtone. When it went off again, I leaned back to get a better listen as to the source of the noise, and sure enough, we were seat-dancing to his ringtone! Which of course, made us laugh like idiots for the next several kilometers. :) When he woke up, he must have had at least 10 missed calls.

I will, naturally, post more pics post-, or during, trip. ;)

Have a good Friday-weekend everyone!!!!

Okay, so an addendum on the last post...

On Sunday, I did more walking, calves be damned. I visited the Suter Art Gallery, bought some postcards to send to people, discovered I am burning through my NZ stipend, so I am switching over to the US soon...shame on me. ;) The NZ was only for living expenses not all the extra crazy stuff I've been doing...though, I am pleased it's been lasting this long!

Anyway, I also picked up HP7...and was looking forward to reading it when Leah, Jonah, Moriah, and Derek rang me to have dinner with them since they were in Nelson and just got back from Abel Tasman! We went to Thai Fusion Cafe - yummy!

Anyway, a lovely picture:

29 July 2007

How is it possible that it is the end of July already? Oi.

Anyway, my life has suddenly become very busy with work and planning these precious last few weeks. But somehow I’ve taken many pictures.

Since my last entry, I’ve:
- Started measuring mussels brought to me straight off the mussel lines.
- Climbed to the geographic Centre of New Zealand, which is actually on a hill just down the road from work.
- Got my hair cut (finally!).
- Went to a hangi (Maori feast where layers of meats and vegetables are cooked in an earthen pit) and enjoyed dances from local Maori students, including the dramatic haka. (If you ever see an All Blacks game, this is the ritual dance they do before every game.)
- Definitely decided that I am giving a seminar and have some of it planned out.
- Fell head over heels in love…with a Kiwi song. If you’re lucky, I may share it. ;) I don’t know if I can upload it with the icky connection I have here, but it’s worth a listen. The band is called Fly My Pretties; and I don’t know the title of the song, but I am guessing it’s called something like “Singing in my Soul,” since they repeat that multiple times.

I’ve no idea what I am off to do today (Sunday, actually), but I’d like to walk, maybe, though my legs are rather sore from walking the past several days. It’s going to be a chill day, I can tell. And as much as I’d love to read the latest Harry Potter, I have a feeling I’ll wait until I am back in the states so I don’t have to lug a million-pound book home in addition to everything else. And something tells me it’ll be cheaper since books are rather expensive in NZ, unfortunately.

This week will be all sampling and gathering data. And next weekend, a trip to the west coast for a trans-Alpine adventure!

Cheers!

[edit: Sunday turned out really cool, and I did buy Harry Potter. Details in the next post...]

( PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE )

This weekend I spent soaking in the thermal pools at Hanmer Springs! The pools ranged from 29 deg Celsius (the swimming pool) to a nice toasty 41 deg C (sulfur pool – the water is not treated but it is filtered). It was a great way to relax.

Here’s a breakdown of the weekend…

Thursday night:
- Grant and Steph dropped us off at Hanmer Backpackers, a very cozy, very warm little place. I loved it!

Friday
- I walked downtown first thing in the morning to go to the grocery store and pick up breakfast, and also I checked out the shops and walked to the pool entrance.
- After breakfast, Roz and I went to the pools straightaway to start soaking. We did that for about 2 hours and then got dried and showered, then found lunch at the café.
- We then walked around a bit, went shopping, and had afternoon tea at the Rustic Café.
- After chilling out at the Backpackers and reading, we decided to go back to the pools for an evening swim. While there, we saw Grant, Steph, and we met Steph’s parents. Roz went in to get the massage she scheduled earlier that day and I just chilled in the hot pools.
- We got takeaways from the Malabar Indian and Asian restaurant and noshed back at the Backpackers.

Saturday
- This day was the day of walking for me. Roz and I went to the top of Conical Hill and took lots of mountainy pictures. BEAUTIFUL! I love mountains…second only to the sea. And never in my life will I live somewhere flat and boring.
- Roz split early and did her own thing, and I stayed for a bit on the hill then, walked back to town. I bought a flat white at Springs Bakery and walked out of town the other way.
- After walking several kilometers, I found the Wai Ariki Nature Park, Café, and Quilt Shop, which I had seen advertised in many places when I arrived. I paid my admission price and purchased a bag of animal food, then went out to see what they had. Well, they had a bison, highland cattle, a horse, a donkey, several varieties of sheep, two or three different breeds of goats, a pig that followed me everywhere, a wapiti/red deer hybrid, some chickens, llamas, alpacas, bunnies, and probably more! It was a lot of fun!! I think the deer was my favorite.
- After visiting the park, I walked back into town and stopped at the supermarket for lunch foods, and prepared it back at the Backpackers. I relaxed with a cuppa while I decided what to do next. I considered several activities, including the pool, but I noticed there were more walks to do, so I kept those in mind, but ended up checking out the shops first before they closed. I didn’t buy anything except for candy at the Lollipot, and then headed to the Woodland Walk loop and conquered that in about 30 minutes or so.
- I ran into Roz on the way back and we ended up getting food at the Alpine Inn where I tried the mulled wine (yum!) and hot whiskey (ick!) in addition to nachos. Then we watched the All Blacks game at the pub while drinking Speight’s Gold and that was perfect!! And of course, the ABs won!! :)
- I went home after the game, read a bit, and went to sleep.

Sunday
- Got up, ate breakfast, packed up and checked out.
- We went for a morning soak in the pools until lunch time, ate, and then walked around town. After our morning tea, we found Steph and Grant when they picked us up at the i-Site to take us home.
- On the way home, we stopped next to a bridge that was high above a river where there was a HUGE trout. You could see him from the bank.

( You'd be silly to think I wouldn't include pictures! )

In other news, I am presenting a seminar on 6 August (my last Monday at Cawthron) on the research I've done with Didemnum - past, present, and future.

Cheers,
Linda

( Saturday: Maori culture and hot tubs )

I took some wonderful pictures of the mountains surrounding Kaikoura. Look, snow!




( Sunday: Seals, and about town... )

On Monday, I got up earlier than usual to go to Picton with Grant and Barrie again. This time we were out for my project: to collect mussels to determine how the tunicate from hell affects their growth. And to collect scallops to determine how delicious they are. And since the second study has been completed, I can tell you that they are quite delicious.

( Monday's pictures )
And that sums it up. I am going to work in the lab this afternoon, which means I truly have to get some desktop work done before noon. During lunch I am going to run into town to see if I can get tickets to Harry Potter 5 tonight, since it’s cheap movie night. I just hope not everyone else has that same idea. Okay, to post this, and then to work!

I am sitting in my office right now (on the second floor), and there are people outside washing the windows. From here all I can see are the squee-gees and brushes because they are on extended poles, and the people controlliing them are standing on the ground below. And for some reason it's causing me to giggle. It's nice of the sentient squeegees to come over here and clean my windows for me. :) The windows do look much better now.

I've had far too much tea today. Really I have.

Oh, and I made lasagna for my flatmates and Roz last night. Apparently it was awesome. :)

Cheers!

On Saturday, we went with JJ's Quality Tours/Bay Tours on a Groovy Day Out wine tasting outing. It was a lot of fun! And I have a few photos to share!

1) Before we went to the first winery, we stopped at a high point along the road to see the beauty of Tasman Bay, Tahunanui Beach, Abel Tasman National Park and snow-covered mountains much farther away.



2) The first winery we went to was part of the Grape Escape complex. Also there were NZ arts and crafts and beautiful knit sweaters, shawls, and other warm woolie items. Behind the shops was an alpaca farm, and several adorable and quite friendly little guys.


3) The second winery was Waimea estates.
Grapes, grapes, and more grapes here.


4) The third winery, and my favorite, was Stafford Lane Estates. They had fejoie bushes which we were able to pick from and, damn, fejoies are the BEST fruit I've ever eaten. I talked to the owner, Mike, about what wine is good with lasagna, and he should me on one of the (delicious) Chardonnays. :) So, I did come home with a bottle of wine.
They also had a bearded collie they named Indiana Jones. He was too sweet!

5) Lastly we toured Harrington's Brewery, which brewed the beer for the Lord of the Rings movies. They call this beer SobeRing as it's only 1% alcohol. And yes, I tried it. I wasn't too fond of it, but their wheat beer was phenomenal. :)
This is the bloke behind the counter (on the right) who served us. I think his name is Chris. The other fella is Andrew, one of my tourmates.


More pics can be found on the Bay Tours site here.

Yesterday, I spent most of the day resting due to my cold. But I feel much better today!!! :)

Ugh, I think I am coming down with a bug or something. :( I really don't feel that well today. I am pounding a Powerade and just ate lunch, so I hope the nutrients help me feel better.

Two things:
1) Happy July 4th, Americans.
2) I'm sad...Team New Zealand lost the America's Cup race to Alinghi (by one measely second too).

Anyway, Roz and I have booked a tour to go wine tasting on Saturday. It's going to be fun. Then we may check out Golden Bay on Sunday.

Kaikoura, then, the following weekend (13 - 14 Aug)

Then after that?
18 - 21 July: There's a pretty damn good chance we'll be headed down to the hot springs in Hamner (sp?) with my house hosts, Grant and Steph.
25 - 29 July: I am trekking down to the Fiordlands
3 - 5 Aug: Either tramping the Queen Charlotte track in Picton, going up to Whangerei/Bay of Islands to dive at Poor Knights, or something else
10 Aug: I leave Nelson for Auckland where I will stay for a few days (until the 14th when I fly back to Boston - hohum). In Auckland, I'll go to the Aquarium with Derek and his girl, and perhaps do Poor Knights this weekend instead (shorter bus trip - cheaper, and flying after diving won't have to happen).

Research is okay. I am honing my PhD proposal, actually and I feel confident that I may be able to present to my committee by the end of Fall 2007. That would be cool.

Last night, Roz and I saw a British movie, Driving Lessons, which stars Rupert Grint, the kid who plays Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter movies. It was really entertaining, nice British humor...er, humour. Sorry.

I plan to do my souvenir shopping near the end of the time here to make sure I've got money for my many many many trips. I know I'd like a greenstone necklace and an All-Blacks something-or-other.

Anyway, time to pop a Vicks' VapoDrop and get back to work.

Cheers!

Kiwis wear a lot of black (ie the All Blacks national rubgy team). I went shopping this weekend and bought a lot of black clothes. :)

That's all I have now. More later, hopefully. :)

On Wednesday and Thursday, my research hosts, Barrie and Grant, and I went to the Marlborough Sounds to do some field work. ( We saw a pod of dolphins while we were out )

We did a little fishing, some snorkeling to check out the Didemnum growth on some mussel and salmon farm sites (where seals frolicked in the water around us...I have to get my paws on that video Grant took), and I got a tour of the legendary (well, in my field, at least) Shakespeare Bay where Didemnum took over the world...okay, that may have been a bit dramatic.

Here is what Didemnum looks like:
( Ew. )

And here's a pretty picture of the clouds on the mountains around the sound. ( Read more... )

Today, I drove in New Zealand for the first time ever! Left hand side of the road...driver on the right side of the car. And it was a stick to boot! Luckily, the pedals are in the same order as in the States, but the shifter is also on the left! 0_0 Hehehe. But it was encouraging. I may rent a car here after all.