Christmas Day

Merry Christmas to all back home on this beautiful 80 degree sunny morning. Since my last entry we have done a a lot of traveling. We left the Bay of Island and traveled through the Warpoua Forest. We seen the Kaori trees, which are some of the largest trees I have ever seen. I know the pictures will not do them justice. Have I said this before, the driving through the mountains in a shift is nuts but I have been voted as the best van to be in – what an honor. We traveled on to Hamilton and spent the night at the YWCA hostel. So far all of the hostel’s have been wonderful and we have met individuals from everywhere. On Sunday the 23rd we met with the manager of the Y and had a two hour discussion with her about the Maori’s and what they are going through. We discussed pay in the area and how they felt is was low. While on this topic I asked if they had a minimum wage law and she informed us that the minimum wage in New Zealand is $11.00 per hour, you should have heard the sighs of all the students. We left the YWCA and headed to Rotorua making a stop at the Hamilton Gardens before hitting the road. Dr. Coffin always gives us directions in case we get separated, so Gretchen has been my TomTom; however, I have learned to ask if she has a hangover before we travel because she tends to miss our turns that she is to be watching for. So at times, we take the scenic route but we always manage to find our way. We had a two hour drive and finally had some flat roads to travel on - YEA!!!! We made it to Rotorua and are staying at the Hot Rocks hostel -- WOW the pool is heated by the hot springs in the area and it is just wonderful. Yesterday on Christmas Eve we went to the Buried Village of Te Wairoa. We went through the museum, which gave me chills as it offered first hand insight into the devastation, chaos, and mayhem that transpired on the night Mount Tarawera erupted. We then toured the grounds where we seen first hand excavated archaeological sites. Along the trail were different information post and readings of letters sent to others abroad about the devastation and those who lost their lives. Quit a chilling experience and very spiritual as you could almost feel the presence of those who had died. Upon returning to the hostel a group of four of us went to ZORB. I thought I would do the dry Zorb so I wore jeans and a tee shirt.however they were only doing wet zorb. This was a blast, you dive into a big plastic ball that has a smaller plastic ball in the middle that you set in. It is wet zorb because they put water in the middle portion that you are in which is enough to cover your legs. Then they tell you to take four steps then set down. What a ride! Well at the hostel we have the bar right next door. Last night we met a very free spirited New Zealander who just set down at the table asking where we were from. He was beautiful inside and out. He loves to surf and has lived in California for a year then traveled to Hawaii to surf. Yet we are one up on him as we leave for Tasmania in two days and he has never been there. Well today is Christmas and the hostel is having a cookout for all who is staying here. It is a beautiful day and I am getting ready to get back in the pool so I am signing off for now. Peace from down under.

Where in the World is Terri

Well all we made it to New Zealand - WOW what a place. We arrived at the Airport and entered the land of sails. We picked up the vans(or what I would call small buses) at the airport and needless to say it has been an experience. All three of the vans are manual shift - NOT GOOD WHEN YOU ARE DRIVING UP AND DOWN THE STEEP HILL SIDES. I learned real quick you need to drive up hill in a low gear otherwise you have no power. As I tried to downshift to a lower gear the van died - yes it was quite an experience when you have a semi on your rear bumper. However he had no road rage and I just waived and yelled sorry mate just a bloody American. The crew ridding with me has been great and they think I have done a wonderful job driving with the exception of one who when we arrived at the hostel informed me no offense but your driving scared the hell out of me.
It is currently 4:30 am on Saturday December 22. Yesterday when I started this writing we went to Waitangi Treaty Grounds and participated in a welcome ritual. The area overlooks the Bay of Islands and is just breathtaking. It was where on February 6th, 1840 that the Treaty of Waitangi was first signed between Maori and the British Crown. During the welcome ritual Dr. Coffin was are Representative for the group to speak. We were required to sing as they sang a welcome song to our group and we arrived. Dr. Coffin explained that since their treat was signed February 6th we elected a verse from a singer who was also born on February 6th who wrote many songs about freedom. One Love by Bob Marley is what we sang and they joined in after we sang the first verse. We seen the Ngatokimatawhaorua which is one of the world's largest Maori ceremonial war canoes. We the walked up the hill to the Navel flagstaff which marks the place where the Treaty of Waitangi was first signed. We also visited the Te Whare Runanga which is a fully carved Maori Meeting House, which is representative of all lwi (regional tribes) in New Zealand. The craftsmanship of this building was just amazing. Each carving represented a different tribe in New Zealand.
We returned to our hostel around 2:00 and that gave us the rest of the day as our free time to do what we wanted. A group of us took the fairy over to Russell which was once considered the hell hole of the pacific by the British. We have tasted a lot of New Zealand wine as Maggie, Jim, Marcy, and myself (the elders of the group)usually each by a bottle giving us a chance to sample many different kinds along with the different cheeses and crackers what more could anyone want. Well is has truly been an experience so far and I will try to figure out how to post pictures tonight so you can see the beauty. We have a five to six hour dive ahead of us today so I need to gather all my belongings. By the way yesterday we woke up to the the news that New Zealand had an earth quake that registered between 6-7 on the scale. That was further down south so it did not affect us but that is the area that we are traveling to today. I will keep you all updated as we move on. Off the blog for now.

Study Abroad - Winter Break 2007-2008

My goal is to keep this site updated as I travel with a group from Ball State University to study abroad over the Winter Break of 2007-2008. We will be traveling to New Zealand, Tasmania, and Sydney. We had our first meeting with the entire group Sunday November 18th and received information on what to pack, daily itinerary, flight information and more. Reading materials were also included to give us information in advance on the Maori and Australian Aborigines. December 18th is the date that our group will be flying out of Indianapolis, so I hope to provide updated information as we travel along with pictures of where we have been. As a first time blogger I hope I am able to keep this updated while abroad. Will be using a new digital camara so hopefully the pictures will load.