Day 5 in NZ

Today was a great day and the work load was much longer and harder than yesterday. It definitely was a good leg workout hiking trails all day to lean out the trails and to chop down vines and some young trees and plants. We are still working in the Hunua Ranges and we hiked about 4 miles of really rugged and steep terrain to clear out trails. We covered 8 different trails and accomplished a lot. I don't think there was anyone who made the whole hike without falling down a hill at least once. It rains usually every day here so the soil and everything is very saturated. The mountain soil is all clay so when it gets wet it is very slick. I had a lot of fun though!

I would say that todays work has been my favorite so far. It was more of a "clearing trail" day than the first day because we went on bait trails that only park rangers area allowed to go on. Most of the time I was having to use trees and branches to stabilize myself so I was like swinging around trees and dodging big puddles and mud holes. It made the day interesting and a lot of fun. Anyways, we started at 9:00am this morning and came back around 4:30 so that gave us a full day of hiking. Towards the end of our hike to get back we had to climb up the "staircase to heaven" is what they called it. There were over 350 large and steep steps to get out of the canyon. It was quite a challenge after hiking for 6-7 hours already. By the time I got to the top my legs were burning really good!

The vines in the forest are so thick as well as the bushes and trees. It reminds me of the "dog hair aspens" that we have back at home but with different species of trees and plants. For part of the trail we had to split up into 2 groups and I was with Laura, Melanie, Chrissy, and Alana. We had a Fantail bird that followed us most of the way so we called him Henry and he became our temporary pet for the afternoon.

The card games are getting really competitive and I've had some pretty good battles in spoons. I played in Yukon, Presidents, BS, Egyptian Rat Screw, and spoons tonight. I won in Yukon but was the scum in Presidents. Its fun and makes up for our 'team bonding time' that we're supposed to do!

The kiwi (the fruit, not the bird) and cheese are especially good here. The peanut butter is not as good but is decent. Some odd things for today... you have to turn locks on doors backwards compared to ours and yes, the light switches are opposite in this house as they were in the last. It will definitely take some getting use to. I've missed Dallen a lot today and hope he and the family are doing well. Overall its been a great day!

Day 4 in NZ

Today was a fun day! We all woke up early, had breakfast, made lunches, and went to the waterfall we had visited yesterday to do some landscaping. I helped with building the sidewalk supports/frames with 2x6 boards. The others were hauling around rocks and soil to fill in and to level the walkways that I was helping to build. It didn't take very long to build the frames so I helped a little with leveling out rock and with shoveling mud. The soil here is all clay and very very moist. Its heavy and sticks to the shovels so that was a set back for our progress.

After we finished that task we moved to a different location in the Hunua ranges to build or dig gutter ditches along the hiking (tracking is what they call it) trails. This soil was also all clay and was an orange color. Very interesting... I've never seen anything like it before.

Rocks and tree roots made the task challenging but we did it well and got a lot done. We saw many large worms along the way and listened to the Tui, Fantail, Kereru, and more birds chirp and sing along the way. I am amazed each time we go into the forest at how green and thick everything is. It is all so beautiful!

We dug ditches for about 3 hours and then drove around some roads to see the ranges some more. We drove across a water dam that was gorgeous with the lake, many different trees, green grass with many sheep (which is also another thing New Zealand is famous for) and fresh water streams flowing into the lake. We stopped and got a few pictures of that.

Once we were done traveling and sight-seeing we came back to the house, had dinner, and showered up. I read a couple pages about preparing myself to enter the temple and that was really good. At times I wish I was on my own schedule here so that I could visit the New Zealand Temple and do some baptisms there. That would be an amazing experience!

One thing that I forgot to mention about NZ terms is that they call shovels "spades" and jackets or hoodies are "jumpers". Also boots are called "trampers" and many others that I can't remember right now. We played a whole bunch of card games, just like ever other night that we've been in NZ, but this time I got close to winning! haha I took 3rd in spoons but had a great chance to win. It was down to 3 people and I had 3 lives on everyone else who has only one or two, but then I lost all of mine back-to-back.

Anyways, I miss the words that are spoken when I am at home or with Dallen. I've only been here four days and I'm tired of the swearing and language. I understand that everyone has different upbringings and such but it makes me miss some things from home. Its sometimes hard to have the spirit with me when I am around them a lot. They are really fun people though and have good intents but I can feel a difference. I love my family so much and the gospel especially. It has helped me in more ways then I know and I've been able to see that more and more since I've moved out from home. I'm a very lucky girl!

Day 3 in NZ

Today was a pretty exciting day. The group I'm with left he bunkhouse in Auckland and came to our project site and the Hunua Ranges. We did some grocery shopping for the week and unpacked at another bunkhouse right on a river. The sight from here is gorgeous!


On the ride up we were able to stop at a really big waterfall which was awesome to see. I love how clean everything is kept throughout the roads and the country. It all seems well taken care of and everywhere you looks its really green! I don't think I've seen any yellow spots on the lawns or grassy fields since I've been here.


We hiked on some trails through he forest and checked rodent traps all along the way. They have these ranges almost completely rodent free. I loved being able to walk through the damp and warm tree areas without swarms of mosquitos or nats. I never saw one while we were hiking.

The forest trees were so tall and lush. I don't think I've ever seen trees thicker than the ones here. Vines, bushes, leaves, roots, trees, and plants all intertwine with each other.

We cleared out some new growth on the trails and collected the traps then came back and showered and played card games. I'm going to sleep great tonight!

*One more month from today that I get married!!!

Day 2 in NZ

Today is Sunday and we had a free day to tour Auckland and whatever we wanted to. I went running this morning with some girls and did a little workout with them at the park. Afterwards we came back, had breakfast, and headed out the door for down town Auckland. I had googled to see where a church was so that I could go for a while but i couldn't find it while we were out today so I didn't end up going. It rained for a while but most of the day was nice. I was able to figure out my calling card and I talked to Dallen for a few minutes which was a highlight!


Below on the left is a preschool for young children, and on the right is just an old building that I thought looked cool.


We went to the sky tower which was really cool and walked around some streets to check things out. At the sky tower there was a cool "Shark Bus" that I wanted to ride in but we didn't.



I had lunch with a little group and tried out a chicken and rice chilli plate which was good. After lunch we found our way to a museum they have here. It was pretty interesting and had a lot of information about the Mauri and the culture that NZ has.


These are some of the 'ships' and sail boats that the Mauri came across the ocean on to New Zealand.


This is an example of one of New Zealand's largest tree. In the picture, the tree is only half the size of what they grow to be. I also thought the chair made from a whale back bone was pretty neat.

New Zealand is famous for its birdlife so there were a lot of bird exhibits. They are especially known for the Kiwi Bird which is a flightless bird that doesn't have any wings. They believe that it became this way because there aren't any predators and it got use to walking on the ground without any worries and morphed into a bird without wings.


I was amazed with this bird below called the Moa. It is now extinct because of hunters that killed if off but was said to be very good for meat and clothing/protection. We were told that at one time there was a eagle that had a 9ft. wing spread that could pick up the Moa and eat it. Pretty fascinating if you ask me!


The Mauri exhibits were really interesting and I was amazed at the talent they had in their artwork and carvings. They have a lot of legends of Gods and Goddesses and have a symbol or a carving for each one of them which were all displayed.


We wandered the streets for quite some time and took a couple wrong busses and got lost for a while. I bet we walked many miles just exploring and trying to figure out our way back to the house which we eventually found. It was cool to see the city. There are a lot more Asians and Japanese things in town than I expected I was amazed at all of the shops. It seemed that there were no living places in the city except for apartments and the streets were completely lined with shops and businesses.

It was kind of funny though because each street we came upon seemed to have a starbucks and a subway. There were a lot of those! They have a lot of U.S. restaurants like Denny's, Mc Donands, Wendy's, Subway, Pizza Hut, and more. I'm surprised that all the shops can stay in business because there are so many that are so similar and so close together. We passed by a "Toys R Fun" which in America is "Toys R Us".

Just an interesting side note: The traffic and everything is backwards here. They drive on the left side of the street and the drivers side in the cars on the right side instead of the left. Also all of the door knobs are either super high or super low in the houses and the toilets have a full flush and a half flush. I guess one is for pee and one for the other. lol It was just really different to anything that I've ever seen before. Another one that is weird to get use to is that the light switches are opposite. To turn the light on you have to flip the switch down and off is up. They also call counter tops benches. That's just some of the trivia I've learned so far :)

Day 1 in NZ

Right now I am at the top of Mound Eden just by Auckland New Zealand! The sunset and the islands around us are amazing! We were asked to write our expectations of the trip and to say what we want to accomplish throughout the next 4 weeks with the International Student Volunteers program. I am really looking forward to the touring part and the adventure opportunities. The service part is going to be fun as well and I expect myself to work hard and to make the most of every situation. I expect myself to keep the standards that I've lived my whole life and to write about the experiences I am about to have every day so that I will be able to remember everything that happens.

I want to meet everyone in my group and to remember their names and something about them. I want to have a successful service group and I want to be encouraging and to make a difference.

I know that I am different from everyone else and I kind of stand out in a different way so I want to make a connection with the people I meet and to find something that we have in common.


I already miss Dallen and my family but I will never have this experience again so I want to make the most of what I have and not dwell on what I don't have. It's going to be AWESOME!!!!

Takeoff for NEW ZEALAND!!!

I don't really know when today (May 13, 2011) was because my plane for NZ flew out on May 12th in the U.S. and is landing in NZ on May 14th. The flight has actually gone by pretty quick and I have been able to sleep for a lot of it. I have about an hour left and its starting to get light outside now. We have been chasing the sun and I think that it has now caught up with us. Right now we are flying above water and it looks cool having blue sky and blue water. The only other color that I see is the white of the clouds and the wing of the plane. I met a lot of people last night before the flight and they seem to be pretty nice. I think I am the only Mormon which is fine. It's just different being the minority where I never have before. On the plane ride I was able to sit by Melanie Gilbert who is on my team for the project part of the trip so that was cool. She seems like a pretty nice girl. I'm looking forward to meeting the other people who are going to in my group. I'm getting really excited to land and to see where I'll be landing and to see where I'm staying for the next month! When we arrive it will be about 8:20am Saturday morning and back at home it'll be around 2:30pm Friday afternoon. I think Auckland is going to be a pretty cool place.