Luxmore Hut

Last weekend, I went tramping with the tramping club to the Kepler Mountains. It was 2 candians, 2 kiwis, 1 german, and 3 americans haha- quite the diverse group! We did a 2 day hike up to Luxmore Hut and back down. We left on Friday night and spent the night at the control gates. I thought we would be staying in a hut, but I found out that we were camping outside (mind you, its the middle of winter here!) haha. There was a brand new shelter, which has walls- that dont touch the ground or connect, and we laid out our sleeping bags and slept there. Reminded me of sleeping on the baseball diamonds at summer camp... only 80 degrees colder haha...

We hiked up to the top on Saturday, but when we reached the bushline- it was a blizzard of snow and wind... I couldnt see two feet in front of me! haha- the snow was also hard to tramp through because you would step and fall up to your knees, get out and then take another step and fall up to your hips. it was constantly a game of how far i was going to fall. We were constantly tumbling over and helping eachother get out of holes haha- As much as I was mumbling swears under my breath, it was pretty hilarious- Its one of those times I wish I could rewatch from the outside... When we reached the hut, we went right inside to thaw out. We made tea, then soup, then mulled wine! It was yummy. We cooked red wine and added oranges, cloves, and cinnamon. And then after sitting around some more, we made dinner! haha- It was great to get to know some more people from the tramping club and relax in the middle of no where! We went to bed at nine and slept for 12 hours! when we got up, we made breakfast and chilled out for a couple hours before hiking back down. The weather was better the next day, but we didnt get any of the spectacular views. Once we got to the bottom of the hike, we looked behind us and the clouds cleared! We finally were able to see some mountains and a SWEEEET sunset! it was amazing!

Here are some pictures: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2077971&id=21105072&l=35549f5441

Yes, I am alive!

It's hard to believe its already May! Sorry, I haven't been updating- I haven't been doing much traveling- just hanging out in Dunedin. It's been two weekends and no excursions! needless to say, I am going tramping this weekend! haha.
Anyways heres some updates on my life...

Weather:
I'm so turned around with the actual date. If someone were to ask me what month is was, I would probably say... late October. It's funny how was associate the weather with the accurate month. Right now, its getting cold in Dunedin and winter is approaching. When people think of New Zealand, they think tropical little island. Wrong. Haha. Its actually quite cold in winter. It rained for 6 days straight, we had 2 days of mixed clouds and sunshine, and now it is raining again, ick! We had "southerly" winds the past week and they were freezing.. why?! Because they come from Antartica. haha. crazy concept. So yes, it is fall turning into winter on the other side of the world. It isn't bad, except for the fact that Dunedin houses were 1. built without insulation because back in the day (ours was built in the 1800s), it was really expensive to get thick windows and insulation all the way down here 2. built without central heating... i wake up and see my breath! When we cook dinner, we close the curtains and all doors to keep the heat in haha... It definitely makes me love my warm bed and hot water bottles. im still completely jealous of all of you, i regret shoving the beach in your face in feb!

School:
I had a couple papers due and my first test today. It wasn't bad. I guess I should tell you about one of my professors, Phil. he teaches Exercise Prescription and he is my favorite here. The lecture is at 8, and he usually has about 3 cups of coffee before class and the only reason the rest of us roll of out bed is because it is warmer in the lecture hall than our rooms- haha. He knows most of the class by name and its a lecture of 100+. He even knew my name! I talked to him today after my exam and he started laughing at me. He said I stress too much about school, "you're good mate, its all good..." haha- if only he saw me in the states! yikes.

Friends:
We have been hanging out here watching movies, going out to eat and just hanging out. My friend Jess and I attended a 24 hour book sale- it was awesome. There were thousands of old books for $1 and it was insanely crowded.. I think the whole town was there ; ) Lily and I went on a day hike last weekend around the area which was nice. A group of us rented movies and picked up pizzas last Friday which was fun. We don't make it out to the pubs/bars that often... Flat parties are more common and then people plan to go to town later, but usually we all end up staying put due to the rain, the second bottle of wine, or pure laziness.

Free time:
I have too much of it! I always wish to not have a to-do list and have that afternoon to sleep or read... wish came true and i hate it! I caught myself making a to-do list the other day, "-make dinner -call home" you see where this is going. I had to laugh. I really had nothing to do. I have been reading books and watching movies and tv like its my job! I also started training for a couple races to occupy my time. So yes, its great to just have free time- but im ready to be back and have some purpose- some job or volunteer work. i'm not used to being alone so much- haha. I regret complaining about being surrounded by 70 girls the past two years.

2 months left:
I have exactly two months left abroad- so crazy! I have 2 more weeks of class! I am going tramping this weekend and then next weekend a group of us are traveling up to christchurch to do some sightseeing, shopping, and we are running a 10K. I'm looking forward to it. Then i have 3 weeks of finals, haha so much time. We are planning little trips and hopefully some ski lifts will open and we can go skiing. On June 26, I am leaving for australia! Three friends (jess, david, and john) and I are having an ultimate vacation. We are going to australia for 2 weeks and then the norht island of nz for a week and then we are stopping over in the cook islands for 5 days... I will be arriving in LA, broke and tired, July 19th...! Seems so far, yet it will be here so soon-

Let me know what you will be up to this summer- I'll be around with nothing to do!

Also, look back soon for another entry about interesting facts of new zealand- haha-take care.

Mt. Cook Weekend

Crazy that it is already may and even crazier that I spent the weekend in snow! ... especially after being on a beach 2 weeks ago... haha

A group of 3 friends (jess, james, and lynsey) and I rented a car and drove to Mt. Cook, which is near the center of the south island-and part of the southern alps. We spent the night near Lake Tekapo and the drove to Mt. Cook Village. Mt. Cook is the tallest mountain in NZ... people die every year trying to climb it- only experienced climbers can defeat it because of its sudden storms, ice and snow... so yea, we didnt hike "mt. cook" but we hiked in the same mountain range.

On Friday, we left Dunedin and traveled to Lake Tekapo. We found accomodation right on the lake and then hung out in our seventies decorated little hut. We played cards and enjoyed some wine to celebrate jess' 21st birthday. On Saturday, we woke up and walked a little on Lake Tekapo. It is known to be this crystal blue lake, but since it was cloudly, it looked like a regular lake haha (dont get me wrong, still amazingly beautiful). Once we started driving, we noticed the sun came out and part of the lake was crystal blue. Of course we swerved to the side and started snapping pictures. After an hour drive, we arrive at Mt. Cook Village and had to "sign in our intentions". Just incase we didn't make it to Mueller Hut, they would send helicopters out. haha... we didnt know what we were getting into.

Oh I forgot to mention: a week ago, 2 of my friends did the same hike a week and got stuck in the hut for 3 days! a huge storm came in and they couldnt leave haha. They read the same book twice and sat around waiting for it to clear...

We started the hike, which was flat for 20 minutes, and then steep uphill for three+ hours. First, it was rocky, and then it turned into steep stairs for an hour and a half through shrubbery and rocks. We took a break at sealy lakes for lunch and then continued up into snow! It was another steep hike on rocks and snow all the way uphill, but there was about a foot of snow- It was so much fun to play in it, throw snow balls, eat it, and make snow men. Even though we were exhausted and our legs were burning from continual uphill climbing, we were having a ball. James went ahead because Jess, Lynsey and I were moving at snail pace just taking it all in. We reached the peak and then hiked over to the hut.

The hut was amazing- there were epic views of the mountain ranges, glaciers, and snow. it was incredible. Sitting on a bench just watching the sunset and the sunrise...ah. It was so quiet, except for the random rumbles of avalanches in the nearby mountains. We cooked dinner, played cards, and hung out with a couple from Israel and then 4 kids from Dunedin. Going to bed was quite cold because we were at 1800 feet elevation and the hut wasn't heated. So we layered up and I slept with my sleeping bag over my head. haha. frigid!

The next day we hiked the same route back down. we felt like experienced alpine hikers, until we started descending down hill in the snow. we were slipping and sliding everywhere! I put my rain pants on, so my thermals wouldnt get wet, and when I fell, I just kept sliding down because of the steep descent and my heavy pack. Well after hitting all three of my friends, I continued this method of descending for some good time... until the terrain became rocky- and then it was just painful. I could not stop laughing- I was literally sledding down the mountain on my bum. haha- maybe you had to be there to see this. After 3 hours of climbing down, we were on our way back to dunedin.

It was probably one of my favorite parts of New Zealand. it was unlike anything I have ever seen here and it was just jaw dropping gorgeous. I am frustrated writing this and posting pictures because it does not do it justice. Maybe you just need to fly to new zealand and check it out. haha.

Pictures: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2076587&id=21105072&l=13ece13f26

I am in the middle of planning end-of-semester plans... I am looking at being home around the 20th of July after a little trip to Australia, the North Island, and Samoa. More updates coming soon!