Yet again, I have let my blog (and whatever readers I may still have at this point) languish, abandoned in some forgotten corner of the internet. I have returned to New Zealand from Australia, and I don't think I've ever been happier to be somewhere (even if it is cold here).
Australia was fantastic, but very hot. I spent about a week going up Stuart Highway through South Australia and the Northern Territory, stopping at the opal mining town of Coober Pedy and of course, in Alice Springs for the obligatory trip out to Uluru (Ayer's Rock), Kata Tjuta, and King's Canyon. I spent another week or so travelling down Queensland's East Coast through countless little touristy/backpacker-infested beach towns to ultimately meet Weston in Sydney for another two weeks exploring Sydney and Melbourne. I got to hold a joey (baby kangaroo) in Coober Pedy; I saw camels, wallabies, dingoes, and a river that is dry more often than it runs near Alice Springs, brush turkeys and kookaburras in Cairns, and more wallabies, penguins, koalas, and wombats in Victoria.
I got back to New Zealand about 10 days ago. Since then, I've visited Christchurch, Mt. Cook (NZ's highest peak), Queenstown, Milford Sound, Te Anau, Invercargill, and Stewart Island, where I am now. It's cold here! Probably not much above the 50s, I'd say. Anyway, I'm not entirely pleased that my tours of the South Island have been so rushed, but I've loved being here. Stewart Island, especially, has been a lot of fun. It's where people go to see native birds in the wild, including kiwis. I haven't seen one yet (and am not willing to pay NZ$120 to go on a kiwi-spotting tour), but I have seen tui, fantails, bellbirds, and a bunch of other birds whose names I have forgotten. Since, up until this point, I had only seen a pukeko (not even a tui!), I find this really exciting. It's a strange place, too, because everyone here is really into bird-watching. I've never been at a backpackers where people care more about spotting birds than drinking. Or where people care about spotting birds at all. Also, I've met more Americans since being on Stewart Island than I have in the entire 7 months I've been here. I met a guy at my hostel from Sun Valley, ID, and I met a family on a walk I took who, though they now live in Christchurch, were originally from Green Bay! I certainly didn't expect to meet anyone from either ID or WI, much less who were familiar with places I know!
Tomorrow, I leave Stewart Island to go to the Catlins, then Dunedin, then to make my way back up to Auckland to fly out on the 29th. I'd much rather stay here, but as I've applied to a master's program in library science, I need to get a job that actually pays, and going home is the most sensible (if not the most appealing) thing to do. Since returning to New Zealand, I have come more determined to move here one day. Now I just have to figure out how.
15 January 2010
02 December 2009
Australia
Hello everyone! This is just a quick update to let you all know that I am now in Australia! I'm in Sydney at the moment, and will be going to Adelaide via Canberra today (arriving Friday at 3 PM). I'm really looking forward to this trip. I'm going right up the middle of the continent, then down the east coast to ultimately meet Weston back in Sydney the day after Christmas. So, Canberra today, Adelaide tomorrow, and then countless other 20+ hour bus rides!
As you can no doubt tell, I left Matamata yesterday as well. It was sad to leave, but it was time. I had been there for two months. I got to see most of the North Island while with Scott and Eira. Nicola and I went to a show in Gisborne at the beginning of November and I got to see where Captain Cook first landed in NZ. I also went over to Napier one weekend because Scott and Eira had a Japanese girl down for a few days. Napier was lovely! It was destroyed by an earthquake in 1931, so they rebuilt it all in Art Deco and Spanish Mission style.
And the puppies! Scott's dogs had two litters, and Jackie's Welshie had 9 puppies! So I spent most of November playing with puppies. And one Jack puppy, my favorite, was twice the size of all the others in her litter, and she would sleep on top of the others all the time. She's the one they're keeping, and Scott's naming her Warwick Wisconsin after me.
Anyway, I should be updating more now, as I will have access to wireless more frequently. It's miserable trying to update and do all the other things I have to do on dial-up!
As you can no doubt tell, I left Matamata yesterday as well. It was sad to leave, but it was time. I had been there for two months. I got to see most of the North Island while with Scott and Eira. Nicola and I went to a show in Gisborne at the beginning of November and I got to see where Captain Cook first landed in NZ. I also went over to Napier one weekend because Scott and Eira had a Japanese girl down for a few days. Napier was lovely! It was destroyed by an earthquake in 1931, so they rebuilt it all in Art Deco and Spanish Mission style.
And the puppies! Scott's dogs had two litters, and Jackie's Welshie had 9 puppies! So I spent most of November playing with puppies. And one Jack puppy, my favorite, was twice the size of all the others in her litter, and she would sleep on top of the others all the time. She's the one they're keeping, and Scott's naming her Warwick Wisconsin after me.
Anyway, I should be updating more now, as I will have access to wireless more frequently. It's miserable trying to update and do all the other things I have to do on dial-up!
14 October 2009
In a hole in the ground...
Wow, I've left this for a month. And it's been a busy month, as well, so I hope you'll all excuse my absence!
Since I last updated, I finally moved out of Taupo. Before that, however, I spent a weekend in Wellington with some friends from my first job here. It was a lot of fun. We went to the NZ vs. Aus rugby match, which was interesting for me, seeing as I don't actually know anything about rugby. It's not too hard to pick up, however. And the All Blacks won, so that was good. I didn't get much sleep, though, and it took me about a week to get back up to speed!
On the 28th, I moved to Matamata, which you may know as Hobbiton. Yes, the farm they used as the set for Hobbiton is in this area. No, I have not been yet, and I don't know if I will go. I don't fancy paying $50 to see hills and polystyrene. I now live with Scott and Eira, who currently breed and show Jack Russell Terriers. Most of you probably know that I used to show my own dogs, Oscar and Oliver, in 4-H when I was younger. I've really missed it, so it's been really fun to hang out here and go to shows. They have 9 dogs: 7 Jacks, a cocker spaniel (that's an English cocker to Americans), and a Welsh springer spaniel.
The first weekend of October, I went down to the NZ National Dog Show in Feilding. I spent four nights sleeping in a tent on the ground, in the rain and wind. It was so much fun, though. I went down with Jackie and Nicola, the neighbors. We took two of Scott and Eira's dogs: Flybuys, a 6 mo. Jack Russell, and Sioni, an 8 mo. Welshie. We also had Jackie's Welshie and Nicola's cocker. Everyone did pretty well: both Flybuys and Sioni got puppy of breed. I know a woman from Taupo who's just getting into Scottish deerhounds, and she was down with both of hers for the Wellington Hound show that took place on Thursday, so I went over to help hold her dogs while she was in the ring. Well, of course, since hers were the only two there, they went up against each other for best of breed and she had me take one in for her. Those things are huge. Also, there were about 20 million dachshunds, and they took FOREVER. They split them up by both size and coat here, so you have Miniature Smooth, Long, and Wire, then Standard Smooth, Long, and Wire. I don't like most of the smooths other than Oscar, but I love the longhaired minis. There was also a Paws-to-Music competition Friday night, where people basically "dance" with their dogs. Almost everyone had border collies, of course. There were two Nova Scotia Duck Tolling retrievers, which I was glad to finally see. They have such sweet faces! There was also lure-coursing one of the days, but I sadly missed it. Apparently there were loads of Afghans with all their beautiful, carefully groomed hair crashing through the mud after a possumtail. I feel sorry for the people who had to go clean them up after that! On the way back up, the biggest snowstorm in 25 years hit the Central North Island (in Taupo/National Park), so we had to go around the western coast. It took us 3 extra hours, but we still got home fast than people who went through the middle. They had 20 cm of snow, the roads were closed for 2 days, and hundreds of people were stranded.
Last weekend, we went to a show in Tauranga, where Sioni got puppy in show at the gundog specialty show. I just enjoy watching everything that goes on and listening to people as they talk to their dogs. My favorite was the woman who camped next to us at Nationals. She had clumber spaniels and Newfoundlands. She routinely called them dingbats, and told them, "If you had half a brain, it would be lonely." I also like listening to people discuss their dogs and the dogs in the ring, as well as catching all the doggy gossip. And, as with any activity in any location, there's a lot. I'm learning a lot, especially about conformation, and am really looking forward to getting back into dogs when I go home. I'll have probably met all the Welshies in the North Island by the time I leave (I am only slightly exaggerating), and it's been useful to compare them to each other and to listen to what their people say about them.
What's also really interesting to me is how the NZKC and the AKC are different. Our sporting group is their gundog group, our herding group is their working group, and our working group is their utility group. And that you can show mutts in obedience here. Oh, and all schnauzers are in the utility group here, where only the giant schnauzer is in our working group. The other two varieties are terriers. We also don't recognize Jack Russells, only Parson Russells. And we only split dachshunds up by coat, not by size. Here they do both.
I have also reached a verdict on Pineapple Lumps: delicious!
Since I last updated, I finally moved out of Taupo. Before that, however, I spent a weekend in Wellington with some friends from my first job here. It was a lot of fun. We went to the NZ vs. Aus rugby match, which was interesting for me, seeing as I don't actually know anything about rugby. It's not too hard to pick up, however. And the All Blacks won, so that was good. I didn't get much sleep, though, and it took me about a week to get back up to speed!
On the 28th, I moved to Matamata, which you may know as Hobbiton. Yes, the farm they used as the set for Hobbiton is in this area. No, I have not been yet, and I don't know if I will go. I don't fancy paying $50 to see hills and polystyrene. I now live with Scott and Eira, who currently breed and show Jack Russell Terriers. Most of you probably know that I used to show my own dogs, Oscar and Oliver, in 4-H when I was younger. I've really missed it, so it's been really fun to hang out here and go to shows. They have 9 dogs: 7 Jacks, a cocker spaniel (that's an English cocker to Americans), and a Welsh springer spaniel.
The first weekend of October, I went down to the NZ National Dog Show in Feilding. I spent four nights sleeping in a tent on the ground, in the rain and wind. It was so much fun, though. I went down with Jackie and Nicola, the neighbors. We took two of Scott and Eira's dogs: Flybuys, a 6 mo. Jack Russell, and Sioni, an 8 mo. Welshie. We also had Jackie's Welshie and Nicola's cocker. Everyone did pretty well: both Flybuys and Sioni got puppy of breed. I know a woman from Taupo who's just getting into Scottish deerhounds, and she was down with both of hers for the Wellington Hound show that took place on Thursday, so I went over to help hold her dogs while she was in the ring. Well, of course, since hers were the only two there, they went up against each other for best of breed and she had me take one in for her. Those things are huge. Also, there were about 20 million dachshunds, and they took FOREVER. They split them up by both size and coat here, so you have Miniature Smooth, Long, and Wire, then Standard Smooth, Long, and Wire. I don't like most of the smooths other than Oscar, but I love the longhaired minis. There was also a Paws-to-Music competition Friday night, where people basically "dance" with their dogs. Almost everyone had border collies, of course. There were two Nova Scotia Duck Tolling retrievers, which I was glad to finally see. They have such sweet faces! There was also lure-coursing one of the days, but I sadly missed it. Apparently there were loads of Afghans with all their beautiful, carefully groomed hair crashing through the mud after a possumtail. I feel sorry for the people who had to go clean them up after that! On the way back up, the biggest snowstorm in 25 years hit the Central North Island (in Taupo/National Park), so we had to go around the western coast. It took us 3 extra hours, but we still got home fast than people who went through the middle. They had 20 cm of snow, the roads were closed for 2 days, and hundreds of people were stranded.
Last weekend, we went to a show in Tauranga, where Sioni got puppy in show at the gundog specialty show. I just enjoy watching everything that goes on and listening to people as they talk to their dogs. My favorite was the woman who camped next to us at Nationals. She had clumber spaniels and Newfoundlands. She routinely called them dingbats, and told them, "If you had half a brain, it would be lonely." I also like listening to people discuss their dogs and the dogs in the ring, as well as catching all the doggy gossip. And, as with any activity in any location, there's a lot. I'm learning a lot, especially about conformation, and am really looking forward to getting back into dogs when I go home. I'll have probably met all the Welshies in the North Island by the time I leave (I am only slightly exaggerating), and it's been useful to compare them to each other and to listen to what their people say about them.
What's also really interesting to me is how the NZKC and the AKC are different. Our sporting group is their gundog group, our herding group is their working group, and our working group is their utility group. And that you can show mutts in obedience here. Oh, and all schnauzers are in the utility group here, where only the giant schnauzer is in our working group. The other two varieties are terriers. We also don't recognize Jack Russells, only Parson Russells. And we only split dachshunds up by coat, not by size. Here they do both.
I have also reached a verdict on Pineapple Lumps: delicious!
14 September 2009
Hamilton Craft Fair
So I did not get a ride to the craft fair from Sharon's friend. Her car was full, so I took the bus instead. I did, however, get to stay the night with one of Sharon's old school friends, which was fantastic because hey, I saved $20 and got to meet some new people, plus watch the Daily Show for the first time in 3 months!
I went to the craft fair on Saturday morning. I took a class where I knitted a beaded bracelet, then I wandered around to look at the exhibits and go shopping for the rest of the day. It was pretty great. There were two different quilt exhibits, plus one fiber arts exhibit. I am continually impressed (and made jealous!) by the ingenuity of other people. Sadly, none of my pictures turned out very well (and probably violate the spirit, if not the letter, of intellectual property rights), and I can't get Blogger to upload them right now, otherwise I would share them with you.
I will leave you with this: coverage of the Undie 500, a pub crawl in which engineering students drive from Christchurch to Dunedin in modified cars bought for under $500. This year, there were 2 nights of rioting in Dunedin following the event. The police RAN OUT OF PEPPER SPRAY trying to control the situation. Let me repeat that: they RAN OUT OF PEPPER SPRAY. I can't even wrap my mind around it.
I went to the craft fair on Saturday morning. I took a class where I knitted a beaded bracelet, then I wandered around to look at the exhibits and go shopping for the rest of the day. It was pretty great. There were two different quilt exhibits, plus one fiber arts exhibit. I am continually impressed (and made jealous!) by the ingenuity of other people. Sadly, none of my pictures turned out very well (and probably violate the spirit, if not the letter, of intellectual property rights), and I can't get Blogger to upload them right now, otherwise I would share them with you.
I will leave you with this: coverage of the Undie 500, a pub crawl in which engineering students drive from Christchurch to Dunedin in modified cars bought for under $500. This year, there were 2 nights of rioting in Dunedin following the event. The police RAN OUT OF PEPPER SPRAY trying to control the situation. Let me repeat that: they RAN OUT OF PEPPER SPRAY. I can't even wrap my mind around it.
08 September 2009
Little Lamb, Who Made Thee?
Yesterday, one of the neighbors came over with an orphaned lamb. Its mother had died over the weekend. Lexie promptly named it "Bubbles" and it is her new pet. Today, when she was home from school with a cold, she put a collar and lead on it and dragged it all over the yard. She made it watch me dig out the garden. Even when she didn't have the lead on, it followed her everywhere. It was the cutest thing I have ever seen.
In other news, I may have a ride up to the craft fair in Hamilton with one of Sharon's friends! Also, I have heard from the people I am going to stay with in October. I will get to go to the New Zealand National Dog Show with their friends, and I may even have the opportunity to handle some of their dogs in the ring! Of course, I haven't done so since high school, but the possibility is incredibly exciting. They have a Jack Russell puppy who continually wins over more mature dogs in the show ring, which is almost unheard of. And they're expecting two litters of puppies at the end of October!
Also, the All Blacks are playing South Africa's Springboks in Hamilton this weekend, and apparently some of the Springbok team members have claimed that there is nothing to do in Hamilton. Now, One News is trying to prove them wrong. This is what passes for news in New Zealand. (Incidentally, One News won loads of awards at the recent Qantas Film & TV awards show, including best news. Don't worry, they have ads on about this ALL THE TIME.)
In other news, I may have a ride up to the craft fair in Hamilton with one of Sharon's friends! Also, I have heard from the people I am going to stay with in October. I will get to go to the New Zealand National Dog Show with their friends, and I may even have the opportunity to handle some of their dogs in the ring! Of course, I haven't done so since high school, but the possibility is incredibly exciting. They have a Jack Russell puppy who continually wins over more mature dogs in the show ring, which is almost unheard of. And they're expecting two litters of puppies at the end of October!
Also, the All Blacks are playing South Africa's Springboks in Hamilton this weekend, and apparently some of the Springbok team members have claimed that there is nothing to do in Hamilton. Now, One News is trying to prove them wrong. This is what passes for news in New Zealand. (Incidentally, One News won loads of awards at the recent Qantas Film & TV awards show, including best news. Don't worry, they have ads on about this ALL THE TIME.)
04 September 2009
31 August 2009
An Update
So I'm still in Taupo. And I will still be in Taupo for a little while longer yet. I'm currently doing a farm stay at a kennel a few miles out of town, at the Taupo Pet Lodge. I help out in the kennels in the morning and afternoon and I do odd jobs around the house. I'm really enjoying myself here. I feed the chickens (chooks) and help Lexie, the 6 1/2 year old daughter, with her pony. Steve and Sharon are really nice, and really generous, and I get to play with other people's dogs and cats (though there are way too many people with big dumb dogs--mostly labs and weimaraners--who don't teach them any manners, not to mention all the bratty little fox terriers), so life's pretty good!
I don't have much else to say. I've been looking into library schools and preparing applications for when I get back, but that's been at a snail's pace because I am kind of lazy. I've also been trying to convince Weston to come visit me, but I don't think he thinks this is as cool an idea as I do.
I don't have much else to say. I've been looking into library schools and preparing applications for when I get back, but that's been at a snail's pace because I am kind of lazy. I've also been trying to convince Weston to come visit me, but I don't think he thinks this is as cool an idea as I do.
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