Happy Birthday, Enora!

The Kiwis love their BYOs (Bring Your Own) and find any excuse to have one. BYOs are a very popular way to celebrate birthdays in Dunedin. 

Bob

Bob wanted to be in the blog. Everyone, Bob!

Queenstown

Queenstown is the adventure capital of the world. It's home of the bungee jump so bungee jumping was a must do while we were there. Queenstown is a resort town surrounded by mountains and situated on the shores of crystal clear Lake Wakatipu. While there we went to Ferg Burger, which is a famous hamburger restaurant in Queenstown. The line is always out the door. Even at 11am! 

Cardrona

Our day of skiing in Cardrona, Wanaka. The skiing is so high up, there aren't any trees! The ski conditions involved less powder and more ice. Great day! Cardrona was a gold rush town established in the 1860s on the banks of a small river along Crown Range Road, the scenic route between Wanaka and Queenstown.

Road trip to Wanaka

We drove about 3.5 hours to Wanaka and saw infinite numbers of sheep on the endless rolling hills. Wanaka is a South Island recreation destination, situated on Lake Wanaka, the fourth-largest lake in New Zealand. The town offers visitors great fishing, hiking, golfing, wine-tasting and skiing.

Cooking

About once a week, a member of my flat cooks for everyone. This Sunday it was my turn so I made my favorite soup--chicken tortilla--along with a side salad consisting of tomatoes and mandarin slices. While measuring the Tabasco Sauce I spilled in the pot, so the soup ended up being pretty hot but still amazing. 

Saturday Rugby

Saturday is rugby day in New Zealand so we went to watch Adam. He's on one of the University of Otago teams and this was their semifinals match. Go Adam go! 

Messing Around

Just some of my favorite Kiwis.

Another Beautiful View

Annual Cadbury Jaffa Race

My friends and I went to the annual Cadbury Jaffa Race this weekend. In this race, thousands of Jaffa chocolates are dropped from the top of the world's steepest residency street (Baldwin Street). Tickets are sold, and each Jaffa has a number on it which corresponds to a ticket. The person whose chocolate crosses the finish line first wins a prize. All the proceeds of the ticket sales go to Make a Wish, Parents Centre, and Surf Life Saving. If you zoom in on the picture, you will see a bunch of red dots which are the racing chocolates.   

Betty

This is Betty, my Kiwi host, celebrating the Fourth of July. Before meeting me and the other international students, Betty thought that all Americans eat BBQ and talk and dress like Texans. Hey, ya'll, ain't that a hoot?!

Anzac Biscuits

This week at the Volunteer Club, we baked Anzac Biscuits for elderly patients at a nearby Dunedin hospital. These cookies have been a favorite in New Zealand for decades. They were sent to soldiers abroad from their wives since the ingredients in the recipe--rolled oats, flour, desiccated coconut, sugar, butter, golden syrup and baking soda--don't have a short expiration allowing the cookies a long shelf life and therefore making them a perfect treat for soldiers. The biscuits are named for their association with the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) which was established in World War I.

Scenic View

Just a beautiful view of the sun setting behind the mountains. The hike was worth this memory.

Cultural Challenges

This is how we do laundry in New Zealand!

University of Otago

The University of Otago Clocktower Complex is a group of architecturally and historically significant buildings in the center of campus. Founded in Dunedin in 1869, the University of Otago is the oldest university in New Zealand and was created by the province's Scottish founders out of their commitment to higher education. The founders decided to build in expensive materials in an elaborate old-world style. They maintained this architectural attitude for over fifty years, resulting in an impressive group of buildings. Current enrollment at the university is over 21,000 students. The university's motto can be translated as "dare to be wise" or "have the courage to be wise."