some inspiration and the tour

Great quote:

Billy Graham said, “Most of us do not understand nuclear fission, but we accept it. I don’t understand television, but I accept it. I don’t understand radio, but every week my voice goes out around the world, and I accept it. Why is it so easy to accept all these man-made miracles and so difficult to accept the miracles of the Bible?”

Faith is built upon trust. God wants us to trust Him - even when we do not understand what is happening or can explain the circumstances. Even when nothing makes sense and everything seems wrong. It is easy to trust Him when the seas are calm and the skies are clear but the strength of our faith is measured in the midst of a raging storm. A crisis always reveals what is really inside. What life does to us depends on what life finds in us. Faith is a deliberate choice to believe God, to walk through our fear, knowing we can trust Him every step of the way.

And...the video I promised!

43 Howe Street and then some

Ok it's official.  I never thought I would find such a place, but I think that Dunedin actually has more schizophrenic weather than either Grove City or Somerset.  Today we lucked out, it's slightly breezy and sunny and really nice.  The weather predictions are often inaccurate, so we just never know what we're going to get.  I think i mentioned this before, but the people here say to be prepared for 4 seasons every day when you leave your house.  Anyways, I am totally appreciating the sun while it lasts!

Today I want to take you on a tour of my flat.  This is probably something I should have done a while ago but I always had other things to write about so I've been saving it.  I really like where I live; our flat is tidy and well-kept, actually a whole lot nicer than a lot of the other ones I've seen.  It's got 4 bedrooms and a bathroom and a common room and a kitchen.  The flat used to be residential so that is why all of our bedrooms look very different...I think Paula's room was once the living room.  The common room that we have is pretty small but it's cozy and nice when it's cold because we can all sit in there and keep the door closed and the heat stays in.  Out back we have a clothes-line type of contraption for drying laundry.  I will be sad once it's cold and rainy all the time (winter here) and I can't hang my clothes out to dry anymore, I find line-drying very satisfying.  Oh we also have a covered porch in the front of the house (most flats don't have a porch) and it's really nice to sit out there and do homework and amuse ourselves by watching the neighbors across the street (the boys that party all the time on their couch on their roof). Click here to see my flat photos.

43 Howe St. - and the sun was shining!!

[video didn't load in time; i'll try again tomorrow and edit this post to include the tour - sorry!]


Things with our flat are going really well too.  Asma, Paula, Maxine, and I are getting along really well and we have a lot of fun together.  I really appreciate how different each of us are, both culturally and just personality-wise, it makes for some really fun and interesting group dynamics.  Broughers, Kimmels, and Marissa: you'll be proud to know that i have successfully gotten all of my flatmates hooked on Modern Family.  Not like it was difficult...Asma watched one episode shortly after we arrived here and proclaimed, "I love this show!!!".  The tv here is way behind where we are in the US (they are only part way through season 1 currently) but I have all of season 1 on dvd and can get the new episodes from iTunes.

Maxine, Asma, and I in our backyard

Other random thoughts/updates:

1. I joined a zumba class on Monday nights - such a fun time!

2. I attended the Grace Bible Church student bible study this past week (every thursday night) and it was soooo great!  This is one of the things I've been pleasantly surprised about since arriving in Dunedin - I have found it easier here to locate both a church and a bible study to attend than I did at Grove City.  It has been really fantastic to be plugged into a place with solid biblical teaching where I am challenged and strengthened and can have fellowship with other believers.  The bible study is held each week at Grace House (a house that the church owns) - the leaders meet earlier to cook dinner for us and then students come, we all have dinner and hang out, and then we have a mix of large and small group bible study, followed by evangelism training.  This is the cool part: the study is held on Thursday evenings (the night notorious for bigger parties) and around 10 pm the Engage group goes on/near campus and sets up a small barbeque to cook sausages.  The Engage students hand out the sausages for free to random students who are walking by and use that opportunity to share their faith with them.  It's a great way for us to get some experience in sharing the gospel and for other students to hear it.

I was like a little kid having ice cream for the first time

3. I stayed around Dunedin this past weekend because I was again supposed to have a field trip for my marine science course (again cancelled due to weather; this is the third time it's been postponed and it's become a bit excessive now!).  But I had a really great weekend with Paula and Maxine (Asma was hiking on Stewart Island) - baked cookies, watched some movies, went to the farmers' market, shopped till we dropped, stopped by a rugby game, went to a fringe festival dance show, wrote a lot of postcards, and went to church.  Time well spent.
There is a little convenience store called Rob Roy's that sells great ice cream, a place notorious for large scoops and small prices (only $2.40 a cone!).  It's like college student dream shop.  But I recently found another ice cream place which is closer to our flat and that sells cones with the same amount of ice cream as Rob Roy's but for $2.30!!  This was a huge Jenn excitement moment, as any of you who are familiar with my love for ice cream will understand.

Paula and I with our day's work

4. Tonight is my night to make flat dinner and it's going to be ham and cheese bagels - something I will thoroughly enjoy but my flatmates will probably not be quite as enthusiastic about.  I wish I could take them to camp and they could eat them there; I'm sure that the dining hall + 300 campers would totally make the difference in their feasting experience.  But I am also serving cookie sandwiches for dessert, can't go wrong there.

I'll try to get that video post up soon!

bookin' it up mt. cook

So far each time I return from an adventure I post my pictures and think 'hah! this is my best album yet, these pictures can't be topped!'.  And so far i have been proven wrong each time.  First it was Tunnel Beach and then the Catlins and now Mt. Cook National Park.  So I present you with (in my opinion) the best album yet.

Lucille at the base of the Southern Alps

my first sighting of Mt. Cook

This past weekend was nothing short of amazing.  We headed out on Friday afternoon to see Mt. Cook, the tallest peak in the southern alps, and therefore also New Zealand.  It's about a 5 hour drive northwest from Dunedin but that time is nothing when you're driving through this kind of scenery.  We stopped by the Moeraki Boulders in Oamaru on the way.  These are basically some rocks along the beach that are really really round, naturally so.  They were cool but we stopped at high tide so we couldn't easily stand on them or anything.  After that we continued on our way.  We arrived in Mt. Cook National Park about mid evening and the weather couldn't have been much worse.  It was a whole lot colder than Dunedin and ridiculously windy and it was sideways-raining, hard.  Our initial plan was to sleep in my tent but it was really really wet already and so we temporarily scrapped the idea of setting it up and found the campground shelter that has bathrooms and picnic tables and some countertops/sinks for making meals - basically a pavilion with walls.  There were a bunch of other hikers in there to get out of the weather as well.  We made dinner (tacos) and continued to hope that the weather would clear for Saturday when we planned to hike the Mueller Hut Route.  By the time we were ready to sleep (about 9 pm - mom, be proud!) the rain was still sideways and the wind was howling and we were pretty much thinking that there's no way we're going out to set up the tent in that.  So we slept on the floor of the shelter for the night.  The next morning we woke up before the sunrise (goal = to see the sun on Mt. Cook) and I sat up, looked to my right, and BAM - snowy mountain peaks filling the entire window.  The sight was so fantastic and I was still in my sleeping bag, still on the floor of the shelter.  My first thought was that God is so good; our prayers that all of the bad weather would be expended on Friday night and that we could have a clear day on Saturday were answered, and then some.  We packed up and loaded the car with the intention of driving somewhere to see the sun on Mt. Cook, which we had yet to see at all by this point.  We drove for a few minutes and turned off at the sign that read "Tasman Valley".  Keep in mind that we were pretty much guesstimating this entire time as to where Cook actually was.  We pulled off the side of the road beside a big field of rocks (and I mean a BIG field, much longer than it looked) and started walking towards the ridge, thinking that if we went far enough in that direction we could maybe see Cook.  Well, someone's instincts were right and indeed we did see Cook, after walking a considerable distance.  The guys in our group were up ahead and running towards the river that flowed through the valley (little did I know a this point where this river was coming from, but in their running they had figured it out) so we followed, figuring that there must be some reason why they were in a hurry.  And boy, was it worth the rush.  I arrived at the far-off ridge and smack in front of me was a glacial lake and THE Tasman Glacier.  This is the funny part: each one of us had read up on Mt. Cook National Park and we talked in the car on the ride up about how if we had enough time we'd like to figure out where the Tasman Glacier is and go to see it.  And yet it did not occur to any of us that morning when we followed the "Tasman Valley" sign that maybe we might run into the Tasman Glacier...go figure.  Give us a break, it was before 7 am!

Tasman Lake, Mt. Cook in the upper left, Tasman Glacier in the center, far away

After taking loads of pictures of the beauty of the sun shining on Cook, the Tasman Glacier, River, and Valley and just sitting in awe of God's creativity and majesty we finally made our way back to the car.  We stopped by the visitor center to pay our hut fees (for where we'd stay Saturday night) and were back to the campground for breakfast.  A little before mid-day we began our hike up the Sealy Tarns Track, which then leads to the Mueller Hut Route.  The sun was shining and the day could not have been more beautiful for us.  We later found out that this was one of the best days of weather for the area; often visitors can't see Mt. Cook at all, but we could see it plain as day.  Now, I've never climbed a real mountain before and definitely not with a heavy pack, so this was quite the experience.  The route proved to be a lot more difficult than I'd anticipated; the slope was steep the entire way up and the whole second half was loose rock and lots of scree.  Although I wasn't in as good of shape as I'd have liked to be and my pack was really heavy and this was one of the most difficult things I've ever done it was a really good experience - both a mental and a physical challenge, a knock on my pride, and a humbling lesson.  It was a really great mix actually, learning more humility while at the same time standing in awe of God's creation all around me.  I couldn't feel sorry for myself when, every time I'd stop for a break, I'd turn around and get a face full of mountain peaks, glacial valleys, lakes, rivers, and fields.

view behind me as i hiked up the Mueller Hut Route

me hiking up the ridge with Cook in the background

The whole time we were hiking up the mountain we were aiming for a ridge, way off in the distance.  Well, actually it never looked that far off until you searched for the orange signs that mark the route and realized that you couldn't even see the ones near the ridge.  But we did finally make it up there, and oh man, that hike was so worth it and then some.  The picture I've just previously posted on this blog is me standing on top of the highest part of that ridge...I know, right?!  Fun fact: I've always secretly wanted to have a picture of me backpacking on a ridge with a huge mountain in the background - I think this will do!  We took lots of pictures, ate a late lunch, and just basked in the sunshine and beauty of everything around us.  From there it was a half hour trek farther up to the Mueller Hut.  The hut was actually nicer than i expected it to be...it's not heated or anything but it's divided into a few different rooms and sleeps about 30 people.  The kitchen has gas stoves for cooking and a tap/sink outside on a big porch.  We chilled out in the evening (quite literally) and had some dinner and watched the sun set over the mountains.

me and Kailey

One thing that I love about camping/climbing/hiking/being outside in general is the type of connection you can have with others around you.  I've been pondering the reasons for why this is so in a paper for my Adventure Education class and I've come to the conclusion that it has most to do with being away from modern society, namely technology.  I know for me, I can think so much more clearly when I am away from my phone and computer.  While technology in and of itself is not bad I think our overwhelming dependance on it is, and I love that we have opportunities to take a break from all of that.  It was refreshing to get to talk to different people who were also staying in the hut on Saturday night.  Even though we all knew that we most likely wouldn't be seeing each other again it still felt as if the conversations we were having were somehow more meaningful, with more depth.  I think this is mostly reflective of the fact that we were totally engaged with one another, without the distraction of a tv, radio, or cell phone.  Sometimes I wonder what society would be like if everyone took a fast from their technology for a while and made an effort to have more face-to-face interactions.  I think it would be very different.

Kea

On Sunday morning we woke up before sunrise with the intention of hiking the rest of the way up Mt. Ollivier to see the sun rise over Mt. Cook, and we did climb up there at 6:30 am, but it was a no go on the sun...the fog was so thick that we couldn't see any farther than about 20 feet in front of us.  But another fun fact: Mt. Ollivier was the first mountain that Sir Edmund Hillary - the first one to summit Mt. Everest - climbed, way back in 1939.  We sat up there for maybe 45 minutes and then finally faced the fact that the sun was not going to penetrate the fog.  We climbed back down Ollivier and got some breakfast before packing up to head back down to the village.  In the meantime I was hanging around on the porch with a few other people when a kea flew up and landed on the railing beside us (Jodi, the zoom lens was amazing for this!! Super glad i decided to lug it all the way up the mountain).  This was a great moment of excitement because we'd been hoping to see some kea this weekend but hadn't yet up to this point.  Kea are a type of parrot, they look just like what you think of when you hear 'parrot' except for colors, they're mostly brownish/green, with some bright orange underneath their wings.  They are quite funny animals too...they vie for attention and love shiny things.  So, the bunch of us out on the porch provided the attention, and the stainless steel counter-top and big mixing bowl in the sink functioned as shiny.  It wasn't long before several others came along too and there were 3 or 4 kea all hopping around outside the hut.  I think my favorite kea episode was when one decided he wanted to take the mixing bowl with him (think big bowl, maybe 2 foot diameter).  He would look at us, hop down to the level of the counter and then latch his beak onto the side of the bowl, only to drop it, be startled by the clamoring of it falling back into the sink, and then he would look at us and loudly squawk is if it was our fault that the bowl had made so much noise.  He did this same thing over and over again, until either our attention became less intriguing or the appeal of the bowl's shininess started to wear off.  Either way, very entertaining.

A while later we began our descent back down the mountain.  I had been looking forward to going back down, thinking that it wouldn't be nearly as difficult as climbing up.  And i wasn't totally wrong...but I'd say that they are both incredibly tough in different ways.  Descending this steep slope for 3 hours really wears on the leg muscles, and on Monday/Tuesday i felt like i was about 90 years old.  Wow i was sore.  I was just amazed as we passed by a senior citizen couple who had hiked the same track we did and were also on their way down.  If my 21 year-old joints were complaining I can't imagine what they were feeling like!  I really hope I am active like that when I get older.

Mt. Cook and the perpetual cloud

We reached the bottom in a bit less than three hours and were on our way back to Dunedin.  I drove the whole way back, though when I started out I figured out that I would need someone to take over for me.  Turns out that driving long distances isn't so bad when you're traveling through the most beautiful country in the world.  For all who are wondering, Lucille is a trooper and she was fantastic this past weekend, no problems at all!  And Leonard also had a really great time climbing with us - he is one stud of a llama.  Be sure to check out his updated album.  Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers - I've been missing home a lot more lately and it is so comforting to know that I have a network of people who are loving and caring for me.  You're all wonderful!

our dear Leonard

stay tuned...

more to come on my latest weekend adventure!

walk to a new world

As of today I have been in Dunedin one month.  It really doesn't feel like I've been here that long; at the same time I am starting to feel more local and less like New Zealand is a that faraway place, more like I live here now.  There is the grocery store that I walk to twice a week, my favorite ice cream store (of course : ), the homeless guy who always sings outside of the mall, buying the same fruit at the same booths at the market on Saturdays, my chair in the library, our crazy partying neighbors, weekly meals with friends...even though this residence is temporary it's more evident to me that this is where I'm actually living.  Home is still home, that will never change; but I am feeling more like I can belong here.  To quote Marissa from her blog, "There comes a day when you make an important linguistic transition. When 'they' becomes 'we', when 'their problems' become 'our problems'...And you realize that you're a part of this place. That you live here. That it's not just fun or vacation, but that now you have a responsibility to this place as you do to the place you're originally from, and that when you leave you're going to take little pieces of this place with you wherever you go for the rest of your life.'  I think she says it so well and I can really relate to this statement.

On that note, I need to take a moment and brag about one really cool thing from where I live in Dunedin.  The nearest grocery store is only a short walk from our flat and the quickest route is to cut through the Botanical Gardens and the store is just on the other side of the park.  I was seriously astounded the first time I walked to the store because of how beautiful these gardens are, and still on every trip for groceries I just feel fortunate to have the blessing of being able to walk through such a lovely place.  So I've decided to document one of my trips to the grocery store (ironically called New World) because I don't think that words suffice - below is some of my walk to a New World:

 

 

 

(just to prove that i was going to the grocery store!)

tsunami warning

A quick update to let everyone know that currently everything's ok in New Zealand.  I recently saw on the news (about an hour ago) that there has been a very large earthquake in Japan (magnitude 8.9) and a resulting tsunami.  Because of all of this there are extensive tsunami warnings out for Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii (actually i think it's expected that there will be one in Hawaii, just a matter of when), and Central/South America.  I just want to tell everyone not to worry about NZ at this point and assure you that the images you'll see of the tsunami destruction in Japan are not at all what New Zealand will experience as a result of this situation.  The initial warning was issued by the Japanese government and New Zealand has recently issued an official warning, but note that this is just a marine threat.  This means that currents will change and waves will be larger than usual (mostly just north of the north island) but that there aren't any expected land threats.  At this point there are still uncertainties but mostly concerning areas farther north of where I am.  Just wanted to give you a heads up and I'll definitely update if anything changes.  Your thoughts and prayers are always appreciated.

pictures

Here is link #1 and link #2 to the pictures from our peninsula/catlins weekend.  Enjoy!

this Lent

Yesterday was Ash Wednesday here.  Quite unfortunately i didn't even realize it until my mom asked in an email if I'd made it to church - gah!  I don't remember hearing any announcements about there being any services around the area but I'm sure there was one somewhere...but maybe they don't focus much on it here?  I dunno, it's kind of a big deal though.  And i'm not really sure how it works with the time difference either; i know that Valentine's Day here is celebrated on February 15th because NZ is nearly a full day ahead, but I'm pretty sure that Easter Sunday is going to be on a Sunday here, so who knows?  Anyways i tell you all of this because i received an email from a dear friend of mine back at Grove City and the message included a link to a devotional about this season; it's incredibly worthwhile. 

Have a look: Lent: An Invitation to Return to God

I was especially stuck by the parts when the author talks about the act of giving something up and where our hearts are in that process.  For the past several years I have either tried to give something up only to become frustrated in the process and drop it part way through or just choose to not give up anything at all to avoid failure.  I have found in the past that i scrap the effort part way through because I do not feel that I'm growing closer to Christ, but rather becoming distracted by wanting the thing that I'd chosen to withhold from myself.  I know that this is largely missing the point of the giving something up deal, but regardless, thus were my results.

This year though, today actually, i have felt challenged to go beyond the typical I'm-not-going-to-eat-chocolate thing and look deeper at what lent means.  It sounds so simple but I was convicted about the foundation and purpose of it: to become closer to the Lord.  I started thinking that it is lame if i don't make an attempt to initiate some sort of change during this time with that goal in mind.  So i thought of an area that needs some work - my devotionals.  I have consistently gotten better with doing devotionals and praying daily but i still so often get distracted by the smallest and most insignificant of things.  So.  What most often distracts me from being able to spend time with the Lord in the mornings?  My computer.  Especially since I've left to study abroad my mac often feels like my lifeline.  I blog, check facebook, email, skype...but these things sometimes feel more important than time with God and that's not ok.  So I've decided to limit my computer usage based on whether I've had my devotional for the day and what time of the morning it is.

I explain all of this here because i want to encourage you.  Maybe you've already decided what to give up for Lent this year and maybe you have really got your heart focused on totally seeking the Lord and de-cluttering your mind in order to better serve Him - i encourage you to stay strong and not give up when it gets tough.  But i also want to encourage anyone who just feels stuck and who just sometimes doesn't want to bother because you've tried many times before and it just hasn't worked well and you've ended up giving up and feeling guilty about it.  Re-evaluate what Lent really means and remember that it's about so much more than just giving something up - that's just a means to get to the end - the end of making yourself more available for Christ to use you for His glory.

"As we clear out the clutter in our souls, we become more finely attuned to what is really going on in our lives spiritually and the invitations that are there for us.  As we experience a broken and contrite heart in the face of what we are seeing, the way is opened for God to teach us wisdom in our secret heart."

oh snap! peninsula & catlins

And thus it begins – this long post through which I shall attempt to try and share how awesome this past weekend was.  I don’t even really know where to begin; I want to be able to share every detail but know that that is not going to be possible.  But here goes.

During our first few weeks in New Zealand I’ve talked with many people about plans to travel around the country and experience so much of what NZ has in store.  On more than one occasion the topic has come up about how we are all going to get around.  Alex has been pretty set on buying a car since the start, especially since he will be staying in NZ until the middle of August to work with a ministry called Snowboarders for Christ.  I have been sort of riding the fence, not really sure about what to do.  On one hand it sounded great to get a car that’s really mine, not have to dish out $30 a day (for the cheapest rental car place, not including $8 a gallon for gas) every weekend of the semester to rent but on the other hand I have never owned a car or even been able to call a car my own and it’s a bit overwhelming, thinking about buying and maintaining my first car in New Zealand.  Oh, and they drive on the left side of the road here.  Well, lo and behold, the time has come for the decision, and about two weeks ago Alex and I got serious about going at this together, splitting a used car 50/50 so that we can travel all over the south island on weekends and use this as even more of an opportunity to be able to witness to those around us - in this case our passengers.  So back to this past Wednesday – Alex wins the bid on TradeMe (New Zealand’s version of ebay) and we are the proud owners of a maroon ’94 Honda Station-Wagon.  We’ve named her Lucille and she’s a real trooper.  As goes with any used car we have already had an interesting time getting some things sorted, but hey, part of the adventure right?  The past owner decided that it would be a good idea to drop it off at a liquor store on Friday when we planned to meet her to pick it up; why, I do not know, especially since this girl lives literally 2 minutes’ walk from both my house and Alex’s – I think that alcohol might have had something to do with that decision process.  So it wasn’t much of a surprise when we discovered that Lucille was quite thirsty for some oil and coolant.  But after taking care of that she was great.  Needless to say, we are going to be taking Lucille into the shop for a checkup (to ease your nerves, spencer and dad : )  No but really she is a tank and has served us well on our maiden voyage this past weekend.  Pictures of Lucille will be up soon, but not in this post.  Sorry for the overwhelming suspense.

So this weekend – epic.  I really mean it, it was so so good.  The car was filled with myself, Alex, Carolyn from philly, her flatmate Jen, Suzie from Scotland, and a whole bunch of gear.  It worked out that all five of us are Christians so it panned out to be an amazing weekend of fellowship for each one of us and we just had such a fantastic time getting to know each other better, sharing our stories, listening, and encouraging each other, and having a whole ton of fun.  This car situation is even better because Alex and I can use it to be able to grow with so many other people while we are here.  It provides such an opportunity to really get to know others (what better way than to witness God’s glory in His creation AND get to roadtrip through all of it?) and to be a solid servant of Christ by being aware that we are an example in literally every situation that comes up. 

our dear Leonard

So before I explain any further I need to fill you all in on something.  I have fallen in love.  Spencer, I’m sorry.  I thought I could withstand it but my affection for this particular kiwi is just irresistible.  His name is Leonard, Leonard the Llama.

I found Leonard waiting for me at a table at a tent fair I walked through at the Octagon last weekend.  Leonard is now the official photo-bomber and roadtrip extraordinaire.  He is a truly special llama.  Click Leonard to see the beginnings of his album.

 Our first stop on Friday was the peninsula.  This is only about 45 minutes from Dunedin and is well known for the extensive wildlife – penguins, seals, albatross.  Our destination for the evening was a place called Sandfly Bay, known for the yellow-eyed penguins.  On the way we stopped many times, just unable to continue driving by the phenomenonal scenery without stopping to get out of the car and take pictures (and remember, we aren’t even a half hour from where I’m living at this point).  So we see a sign for Lanarch Castle – the only originally fortified castle in New Zealand.  So we decided to detour and at least see it while we are in the area.  Turns out, this castle is near the top of a really huge hill – I think we drove up the steep winding road for a solid fifteen minutes.  When we got to the top we learned that it’s $12.50 per person just to see the castle, so we promptly turned around and considered it good enough that we made it to the gate.  Shortly after our turnaround we stopped to take pictures and Alex checked under the hood because Lucille seemed to be heating up a bit.  Sure enough, she was quite hot and we needed to let her cool off (this was before we realized she was low on coolant and oil).  We took our time with pictures and then I went over to Alex to see what was up with Lucille.  I got over about the time that he was getting ready to unscrew the cap to the coolant container.  I think his thought process went something like ‘there’s quite a lot of pressure in the coolant compartment.  Maybe if I turn this cap the pressure will be relieved faster and Lucille will cool down faster’.  Boy, let me tell you, a whole heck of a lot of pressure was relieved in the next instant when he turned the cap (mind you, the one that reads “caution! never open when hot” - a minor detail that he neglected) and before I knew what happened the cap was shot in the air and the coolant compartment was spewing fluid with the force of a volcano.  Fortunately Alex was ok and the cap did not hit him in the eye, which would have been very bad.  I am glad to say that this is something that we can laugh about now, and after Lucille blew off some steam – pun definitely intended – and was fed her oil she ran much better.  What a ridiculous situation, and all in the first hour of our trip.

just the drive to the peninsula, no big deal

view from where Lucille had her spit up

Next we drove to the tip of the peninsula and saw some albatross.  Now I need to humble myself and admit – mom and Nick – that these birds are indeed very large.  I was too busy taking pictures of them in the air to actually focus much on their size, but indeed they are huge.  So Disney isn't far off; Matt, you and I can stand corrected.  After that we drove to a place called Sandfly Bay, where the penguins roam.  Word on the street says that the best time to go is early-mid evening, when they are returning from feeding.  Unfortunately we were too late and missed them, but this will definitely be a place that I’ll be returning to later in the semester.  The beach was lovely at dusk and was a really beautiful picture of the closing of another day in the Lord’s playground.  We also got some really sweet as jumping pictures.  From there we drove around searching for a good place to camp, and were quite unsuccessful.  Turns out that farmers like to fence their fields quite extensively to keep their sheep and cows from roaming, go figure, so we couldn’t find a good spot to crash for the night.  It was about 10 pm at this time and we were driving down a dirt road (a whole lot of the roads here aren’t paved once you get off the main highways) and we passed a super sketchy man walking whom we prompty named Grizzly Man Evans (why, I don’t know) and this sealed the deal – we weren’t camping anywhere near there.  But we drove a ways on and then noticed that the stars were soooo amazing and we also hadn’t eaten dinner by this point.  So we stopped and made some PB&J sandwiches and stared in awe at the most stars I’ve ever seen in my life.  It was a really cool time to talk to each other and reflect on God’s glory.  We read some of Isaiah and pondered the enormity of the Lord, and yet we are called His.  A good, but humbling reminder.

a little jumping action

view across from nugget point

the nuggets at Nugget Point

Our last attempt at a campsite was Tunnel Beach, but that didn’t work out so we just decided to scrap the search and have a sleepover at Carolyn/Jen’s flat and then wake up to see the sun rise at Tunnel the next morning.  When we woke up it was rainy and cloudy so we were blessed with a few more hours of sleep before we got up for coffee/tea and oatmeal, headed off to the farmers’ market and then finally on our way to the Catlins.  The drive from Dunedin is about 2.5 hours and on roads that seriously give West Virginia a run for its money.  And by that I mean that the roads are soooo much more windy than WV, if you can believe that! 
The Catlins is similar to a sort of state park setup – in the way that it includes many different neat places to see, like caves, beaches, bays, hikes, waterfalls, etc.  So we got there and the first thing we went to see was a place called Nugget Point.  This was really cool; it was a hike along a cliff face to the final destination of a really old lighthouse.  And like everything else in this country, the walk to the destination is even better than the destination itself.  We were able to see a whole bunch of seals along the walk, far below us on the rock below the cliffs.  They are really funny creatures.  The lighthouse actually still works and is automated now, and is in this spot because of all of the huge rocks in the sea around that area (‘nuggets’).  

Nugget Point

Parakanui Falls

Next we drove to a photogenic location that brags of National Geographic having used it in one of their issues.  Named Parakanui Falls, this place was really cool.  I got some more practice at being able to slow down the water by changing the aperture and then Alex just went to town with it. 

After the falls we had some random fun, like Alex climbing inside a dead tree and posing with Leonard, then we were on our way to Parakanui Bay, where we found a legit campsite right beside the beach.  It was really nice because the site was large and there weren’t that many people there, and we drove up the hill a ways and found a site all alone and overlooking the bay.  We set up camp while Alex worked on dinner in the rain and we dodged huge piled of cow poop.  I wonder: where were the cows that left so many gifts for us?  We didn’t see any cows at the bay but they could not have been far.  We had a great dinner of rice, meat, and potatoes and s’mores to top it off.  Then it was bed before getting up for the sunrise bright and early.  Definitely was not excited about waking up at 6:30 but boy was it worth it.  It was pretty cloudy but that actually made for some really unique color composition and a brilliant burst of golden light when the sun did rise up through a break in the clouds.  I don’t think I have ever seen such a beautiful sunrise.  Like with all of the others so far, my sunrise photos do not do the event justice…however these are really very stunning and I’m pleased with what we were able to capture.  Truly captivating.

the view from our campsite

one of many amazing photos from the epic sunrise

Very soon after the sun rose we saw a seal on the beach where we were standing, but on the far other side.  We got a bit closer to it but didn’t want to bother him so we didn’t go super close.  Then it was so time for some breakfast.  We drove to the nearby town of Owaka and found a café – Owaka Café, no less.  Then we decided on some neat spots to explore before heading home.  Our plans rapidly changed when I discovered that the drive to Slope Point was only about an hour from where we were.  Slope Point is the official most southerly point of the south island.  We got there and it didn’t feel super duper special, other than it had a sign that pointed in one direction to the equator and the other to the South Pole.  Fun fact: The south pole is the first place in the world to see the sun rise.  Well, maybe the South Pole gets the sun first every day, but on this particular day it was the moon that came out early:

yep, we mooned the south pole

One might think that this was the end of our adventure, but definitely not for me!  I took over the driving for the whole way back to Dunedin, about 200 km.  Driving on the left side isn’t as hard as I thought it would be, but going through towns is definitely still going to take some getting used to – intersections are tough still because I’ve been here long enough that the opposite side of the road thing is more normal, but I haven’t forgotten about how I’ve learned to drive at home, so my brain has trouble determining which way is the one that it should go with.  It just requires much more focus than I’m used to.  But I did really well and feel much more confident of my ability to drive here than I did a few days ago.  We got back in time to shower and get to evening church at Grace, which I really really like.  I got to talk with a woman named Pippa after the service and found out that she’s one of the Uni student ministry leaders.  I’ve got some information on the biblestudy group that meets Thursday nights and I think I will make a point to attend that, as well as evangelical training.  I’m really excited for the community at Grace Bible Church and to continue getting to know the people there.  I have really been made to feel so welcome and I’m excited to give back.  Amazing that within 3 days of moving to this town I’d already found a church, yet it took me nearly 2 years to find the church that I attend back at Grove City.  Funny how God works sometimes, but I know He’s always got a plan!  Until next time : )

oh snap! peninsula & catlins [intro]

boom, coming off of one of the best weekends of my life.  It was seriously epic, and on so many different levels.  but before i get started too much, i need to share that it's late here, i'm sooooo tired and excited to sleep in my own bed, and i have to do some serious editing of my gazillion pictures before i can get the real deal up.  SO.  Below is a brief list of just a few of the many things i have to share and also one of the best photos i have from our incredible roadtrip.

1. we bought a car.  we = myself and friend Alex Moore.  I know, right?  It's the first car i've ever owned or could call 'mine' AND we drive on the other side of the road here AND she's a '94 Honda station-wagon AND her name is Lucille
2. we came across a seal or two... more like 50 throughout our travels this weekend
3. God is really good at being patient with me; if i were Him i would have given up on me a long time ago - says something about my patience : )
4. Matt made it to states in swimming yesterday - SO EXCITED for him!!
5. I got a miniature llama at a local market and we've named him Leonard.  Leonard the llama is now our official photo-bomber and likes to ride on the rear-view mirror in Lucille.  more to come from Leonard in the next post.  Until then:

a really fantastic Saturday - part II

I’ve talked with a few people who have studied in New Zealand before and asked them for their recommendations of what to do and see while I am in the country.  One answer that I have consistently received is that I must go and see Tunnel Beach.  Compliments of Jamie, I’ve seen some pictures of this beach before and it looked beautiful.  So, Alex and I decided to go on an adventure on Saturday and find this place.  For most attractions in Dunedin one can take a bus for just a few dollars.  Tunnel Beach, however, is outside of the city bus limits.  We decided to take the bus as far as we could in the direction of the beach and then walk the rest of the way.  First off, it was a gorgeous walk there: a sunny late-afternoon, along a backcountry-esque road with fields of livestock and those notorious rolling hills in the distance on either side of us.  The walk wasn’t as far as we’d expected either, maybe 20 minutes.  So we arrived at the top of the hill that leads down to the cliffs along the sea.  I realized very quickly that this is by far my favorite place that I've visited in New Zealand.  I wish I could describe to you the beauty of this place – pictures will help to explain but definitely cannot come close to doing it justice.

Tunnel Beach is named so because of the giant tunnel that’s been carved out in the cliff by the sea.  The water is constantly slamming up against the rocks and as I sat on the edge and watched the undercurrent and the repeated cresting, rolling, and smashing of the waves I was reminded not only of God’s glory, majesty, and splendor, but also of His strength, power, and might.  I was brought back to the day when I sat in the car across the street from Wendell August Forge and watched as the factory was consumed by fire – never have I come so close to understanding what the Bible means when it talks of God’s wrath as i did while witnessing the plumes of smoke devouring that material structure (example, see Malachi 4:1 and Psalm 21:8-9).  And as I sat on the edge of the cliff and watched the sea I tried to wrap my mind around its vastness and depth (unsuccessful) and I thought about the Lord's control over all of this.  How profound that we serve a God as powerful as the sea, as serious as consuming fire, as gentle as a light summer breeze, and so filled with bound-breaking love that our human minds cannot come close to comprehending it.

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?  You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.  You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.  O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

        - Psalm 8:4-9       

 

To view all of my Tunnel Beach photos click this link.