Facing the inevitable

It kind of just really ‘hit’ me last night – I’m leaving New Zealand. In a number of days no less.

And all the amazing people I’ve met here will be left behind. Yes, I’ve luckily become close with a lot of Europeans, which is great, but there’s a very high chance I’ll never see some of my Kiwi friends again. I don’t know if I’ll ever come back to NZ, life being what it is and flights being so expensive.

I’ll never walk that ridiculously steep hill to the management building again, or bemoan by shoes as I’m forced to tread over muddy grass every morning, or wile away the hours with amazing friends watching the sunset over the lake at momento’s, or marveling at how ridiculously clear the night sky is here (even when your in the middle of the city). I’ve never been more grateful for the fantastic opportunities I’ve been able to have, and I’ve also never been so thankfully I’m one of the last ones to leave NZ – I plan on dragging out every last minute I have the fortune to be granted in New Zealand.

Despite having a month left, my days with some friends are limited - people are dropping like flies, packing up their rooms and heading onto their next escapade. Up until last night it all just felt a little surreal but, the more I think about it, the more I realize I’m just not ready to leave such a beautiful and welcoming country. I’m not ready to say goodbye to the life I’ve made for myself here. And I’m certainly not ready to face the reality of this year being over and potentially never stepping foot here again.

But then, you’re never really ready for life. The best adventures come when you’re assuredly not ready for them, you just have to embrace the moment and learn to roll with it!

007 Leaving Party

It's completely crazy to think we're having leaving parties already! it's most definitely not OK! I still have 34 and a half days left in New Zealand… not that's I'm counting and attempting to treasure every last minute here or anything.. Regardless of it feeling premature Friday evening was Orchard Park's Leaving Party, it was 007 James Bond themed so everyone really went all out - I should have taken some photos of what some of the other girls were wearing as everyone looked gorgeous! 

 Me and Anna went round to Hanne's to get ready with Tiffany, Shelby and Centaine for a few hours and it was so fun and girly! I ended up doing Anna and Hanne's make up and we all played dress up trying on about 100 different dresses before we settled!

 I was definitely coerced into wearing my outfit!

 It was a super fun evening, we all got a 'little' tipsy and had a complete ball! George's braces were also a star attraction the evening

 In between munching on vegetarian lasagne Anna got up to do her speech that Brett had asked her to do on behalf of all us inter nation students who were leaving. Needless to say a few people got a little emotional - it's truly crazy to think my time here is nearly up. I just can't comprehend how quickly time has flown while I've been out here - I swear I only got off the plane a few months ago, an entire year as certainly not passed!!

At the end of each Semester Orchard Park take a group photo and this year my camera got the honour! Orchard Park really has turned into a little family, and it's kinda weird to think I know every single person in this photo and i'd call almost all of them friends!

 To stop ourselves getting too emotional we headed back to Hanne's cottage where the evening progressed in a very dignified manner - as the photo above clearly demonstrates

Copious amounts of singstar continued into the early hours until our lovely RA's turned up and told us to turn it down, before doing an obligatory song themselves!

It was an amazing night- one I'm definitely going to remember. It's just not sunk in that's it's probably the last time we're all going to be in the same country since from monday onwards people are heading home once their exams are done - scary!

21st Birthday!

Just a quick post summarising my amazing 21st Birthday in New Zealand! 

I was truly spoilt, and it was a really fun, relaxed day (well aside from the exam I had half way through)

All my cards and presents!

I've moaned a little bit this last week that it just didn't feel like my birthday since it was getting so much colder and my birthday is usually in summer. But New Zealand didn't let me down - the 4th was absolutely beautiful and definitely the hottest and sunniest day we've had in about a month!

This is a photo of the lake with all the gorgeous orange and golden leaves

I never got round to ordering a cake so I was a little worried when my birthday got round but then I actually ended up 2! My lovely flatmates surprised me in the morning with this cake and they sang happy birthday to me in Swedish!

And then as soon as I got back from my exam George popped around with this lovely homemade cake!  And another giant badge to go with the one mum sent! The best bit was definitely the letter which explained everything that was wrong with the cake and how it 'symbolised' my life e.g. he put too much cocoa in it so it'll be really rich, unlike me after this year abroad!

 After my exam me and a couple of friends went to Momento to have a few drinks and to chat while the sun set, we also made sure to take a few photos since we realised we have barely any of the three of us!

 This is Anna (the one from Sweden), myself (of course) and Hanne (from Belgium)

Some of the yummy mango margaritas we got!

 Also took a few photos with my lovely flatmates - Anna (Sweden), Me, and Anna (Norwegian)

 The trees are such a pretty background to the photos too!

 We also couldn't resist doing the classic 'throwing leaves into the air' photo thing, although we kind of failed since you can't see my face - was fun though!

Me and Hanne sipping on our drinks 

I had such a lovely day, and then Hanne popped around in the evening after we finished up having drinks and told me she was 'taking me somewhere'. Once she got me outside she blindfolded me, turned me around, and then led me off - telling me after walking me into a bush, that she was taking me to a haunted house! Long story short her, anna and tiffany had me convinced as I was well and truly lost! When they finally took off my blindfolds I was in Hanne's cottage and they'd arranged a Wine and Cheeseboard evening!

Cheese is really expensive out here so I haven't had any in a few months, which is annoying when you're a vegetarian! Everything was delicious, the 5 types of cheeses, the New Zealand white wine, the New Zealand cider and the grapes too. We also bonded over musicals all night!

It was a great birthday, just what I wanted before all the exams that are coming up!

Autumn Update

Been meaning to do a post like this for a while but I just keep forgetting/run out of time to put it together. So it's just a random ramble about bits and pieces that have happened recently - the sort of stuff that doesn't warrant it's own blog post but deserves a little mention

 Golden Kiwis, I know I'm raved about them to mum, but the world needs to know about these golden treats, I'm pretty sure me and Anna are surviving off these as they're really hard (read impossible) to find in europe, but they are 1000x better than your average boring green kiwi. They're mainly grown here in New Zealand and they seem to be a bit of a New Zealand Secret - they're delicious!

 It also seems like all the fruit trees around Orchard Park are finally coming into fruit so every chance I get I've been pottering around the trees picking some fresh fruit. There's something weirdly satisfying about picking your own fruit!

 So far we've had feijoas a plenty, and now the oranges and lemons are ripening! We also have some lime bushes and some grapefruit trees that i can't wait to ripen!

 I took these photos a week or so ago when they cherry trees were in blossom, we've officially reached the golden leaf stage now though. Which is incredibly beautiful, everywhere you look there's a scattering of orange, red and gold leaves

 The other night me Anna and Hanne decided to have a taco night! It was super easy and delicious to make before watching the Spectacular Now which is one of hanne's favourite films

 Love these two girls!

And then last night us three and tiffany went to see the Fault in our Stars. I read the book in a day so I'd read it before I watched the film and it was very, very emotional! I defy anyone to watch it and now cry! Afterwards we were all feeling a little 'fragile' so we went to Hamilton Night market, which is almost exclusively food! I got some churros, which were yummy, Anna got some thai food, Hanne this crazy spud spinner, and tiffany form steamed pork buns.

While there we realised we would only be able to go once more together, since Anna and hanne are off to Tonga soon for a week -I have an exam so I can't go :'(. I'm definitely not a fan off all these 'lasts'!. I've had my LAST EVER lecture in New Zealand, my last ever Orchard Park meeting, and everything else seems to have an expiry, only 3 more weeks until I leave Waikato Uni!

Orchard Park Bits and Pieces

After a complete whirlwind trip back home to surprise mum for easter, which included - sprinting through Sydney airport, before being stopped and searched (I guess running full kilt through an airport is suspicious in australia…), having 8hours of truly awful turbulence which was so bad everyone was told they absolutely couldn't leave their seats, missing my connection and having to spend 24hrs in Dubai, and having a 3hour nosebleed on my 13hour flight! Oh and I managed to watch a TON of films

Now I'm settled back in, all unpacked and very nearly over the time difference, I thought I'd show you a couple of photos of where I'm actually staying here! The campus has been well and truly scorched by the sun down here with all the grass being bleached yellow - a novel view for me since I don't think we've ever had enough sun in blackpool to brown the grass!

Waikato University grounds

This is the main field - the landscape looks to alien considering only a few weeks ago it was just your bog standard green playing field!

The library, thought I'd include this since I see it every day

After walking up the ridiculously still hill that I have to trek up several times a day this is the view I get, it doesn't look too impressive in the picture but it's actually very pretty in person

Separating the university buildings from Orchard Park is this cute little stream

 Orchard Park is basically just a collection of 'cottages' built on top of an orchard so it's quite cute

And this is the place I've been calling home for the last two months!

My room is the one the one at the front behind the tree - so the window on the left

That's all for now, there's a couple of trips in the pipeline but, although it doesn't look it in these photos, winter really is starting to hit. The Tongarario crossing which is slight famous, and a couple of us were desperate to do, has already had an early snow fall meaning there's no way we can do it. As soon as ice settles it's a dangerous hike and we just don't have the experience or the equipment which we're all a little sad about since we've missed the window of opportunity. 

But I'm sure I'll manage to fit in everything else on my to-do list like Gisborne, Napier, Hastings, Taupo, Raglan, Corromandel etc :)

Rotorua

After Scuba Diving last weekend this weekend I had a much more relaxed time by going to Rotorua with Hanne and her sister Rini! It was a 2hr bus journey there and apart from the bus driver enjoying breaking too much meaning we all felt queasy we got to Rotorua super quickly and then it only took us 10 minutes to find our way to hostel - we managed to get a 4 bed room to ourselves too! 

 Me and Hanne loved this on top of a random motel!

We stumbled across a group of school children pulling a fire engine! 

Once we were settled in we decided where we wanted to go, rummaging through all the leaflets we'd picked up and planned our time in Rotorua. Then it was off to the first thing - Te Puia Thermal Park. There are quite a few thermal parks in Rotorua but this one had a large Maori focus which we really liked, and for the entry price you could also get a guided tour (our tour guide was so lovely!)

Kia Ora Te Puia! 

(made out of flax at the weaving school at the park)

 The park was pretty beautiful and I loved how you'd often turn a corner and find yourself facing a bubbling, steaming pool of water!

 Maori's traditionally used a lot of these naturally heated pools to cook with

 There was also a Geyser, I thought this part was so pretty!

 This is the Geyser slowly warming up

 Me, Hanne and Rini as the Geyster was about to blow!

 It goes over 20metres high!!

Sometimes there was no clear stream or pool, the ground was just smoking!

 A traditional Maori building which is still used today for members of the Maori community to practice some traditions ensuring their culture isn't forgotten

me and Hanne being touristy at the Gate to Te Puia!

By the time we finished Te Puia it was getting really late and once we'd walked back into town it was dark and we were starving so after a delicious dinner we all crawled into bed (after a lot of discussion about which way we had to turn our clocks!)

 Our second day started by checking out and storing our stuff in the luggage room before catching the bus to the AGRODOME. Ok, so it sounds terrible, I mean it's a sheep show… but it was really fun and surprisingly informative - all three of us loved it!

 I got to pet this little guy!

 The guy sheered a sheep for us - and I honestly think the sheep was nodding off, it clearly wasn't bothered by being sheered!

 19 prize winning Sires from 19 different breeds

As they came on stage he told us a little bit about each breed and it's funny how each sheep seemed to have a their own personality!

 One of the dogs they use of the Sheep Farm 

 As you can see the sheep were very interested in what was going on!

 After the show we caught a dog herding demonstration before catching the shuttle to Rainbow Springs Wildlife Park

 I didn't take many pictures in the park but we went to a bird show, and saw all sorts of native birds and the odd reptile. There was also a log flume!

 After having lunch and buying a few suviners we heading over the bus stop. Once we got there we realised we'd have to wait half an hour for the bus, luckily it was a beautiful day and there were two little ponies in the feild by the bus stop we sat down in the sun. We ended up only waiting 10 minute though as the shuttle driver, who we'd gotten talking to earlier and was really friendly, drove over and offered to take us into town! For free! we jumped in and got a ride to a local park that he recommended feeling!

Look at the sign! 

 The park was stunningly beautiful!

 And it was dotted with tons of steaming water and bubbling mud pools! It was ethereal!

 It was unlike anywhere I'd seen and it was just in the local park! There were children and families on the lawns and yet between the trees you'd see steam rising up!

 The highlight was definitely the massive steaming lake! It was huge and incredibly humid as you walked over the bridge - I loved it!!

 me, in the smoke!

 After enjoying the park we walked up the hill and got this amazing view of Rotorua Lake! 

 We'd have loved to have stayed longer on the hill, but we had to run to catch our bus! 

I had sure to take a photo of this!! 

I'd have loved to have spent a little longer in Rotorua as we didn't get change to walk around the lake but we packed in a lot in the short time we were there! We arrived at 12 on Saturday and left at 5 on the Sunday so it was flying visit!