From Rotorua to Auckland

After a day of caving we ventured back to Kiwipaka to eat an amazing burger from a New Zealand chain called Burger Fuel. And even better, we got to use something called a Doofer, a patented item only available at Burger Fuel. Basically what a Doofer is, is a piece of cardboard and you fold a few pieces together and it becomes a holder for the burger that fits around the bottom and keeps in all the drippings and mess the burger normally makes. Honestly, it's pure genius and I definitely want to take some home. Oh yeah, and we also had an L&P with our dinners. It's a Lemon and Paeroa which is basically lemon juice with carbonated water from a lake in the town of Paeroa. Somehow this too was a delicious Kiwi specialty. 

After the exhaustion from caving earlier in the day and the food coma from a massive burger hit me, I gladly sat back and enjoyed the talent show that my fellow travelers competed in. Unfortunately, the piano in the room was out of tune to an unplayable extent, so my talent is stayed hidden for the time being. 

The following morning we ventured to a nearby town to help with a local conservation effort and removed invasive species from the wetlands. Being wetlands, it was very muddy, but armed with a spade, we went around the area uprooting walnut trees and removing branches and such from each tree. After the hour of hard work, we were given a tour of the area and a further explanation of what the goals of the project were. Finally, we departed from Sanctuary Park and went to a gorgeous, and Kiwi famous surf beach, called Mount Maunganui (in the background). The entire beach is located at the foot of an old volcano and the scenery is unreal. Greenery, perfect clouds, and teal blue water made it a perfect way to cool down. Oh, and I got orange chocolate chip flavored ice cream in a home made walnut cone and it was good. The New Zealanders really have their ice cream down too. They have special sugar cones that are designed to hold 2 scoops next to each other rather than on top, so it's a skinny handle with an almost rectangular top. 

After the beach, we went back to Kiwipaka to shower and prepare for our last evening in Rotorua before heading to school. That evening, we went to a nearby Maori village, the Tamaki Village. After being shown several demonstrations and given explanations of different aspects of the culture, a performance of the parts of their culture and dances and song were done. It was all quite amazing, and of course the Haka was part of it. Following the presentation, we were shown where the Hangi dinner was being prepared. Traditional Maori feasts were cooked in a Hangi, an underground pit heated with hot rocks and filled with meat and vegetables wrapped in foil and covered with dirt. And while the food and Hangi certainly looked impressive, eating it was even more amazing! It was delicious! And the New Zealand meringue-like dessert of pavlova covered in passionfruit was quite yummy too. 

And I guess that brings me to my accommodations for the semester. I'm now sitting in my dorm, with full ethernet access in Parnell, which is essentially the Soho of Auckland. While not having internet made me very aware of how dependent upon it I am, it is very nice to have back. I still don't have internet throughout the city, but luckily most of the time I will have it. Instead of extending this post any longer than it needs to be, I will discuss where I live and what's around it later. OH and soon I'll answer the question I know you all want to have answered. But for now I need to catch up on my sleep. Repetitive 7am wake ups do not go well with me.