SFS Days 2, 3, and 4

SFS: Day 2

So far this was the coldest day we’ve had. We did a lot of “get-to-know-you” activities in between our lectures in the classroom, which have been interesting even if every lecture didn’t apply to my interests. It was odd today because it wasn’t cold first thing in the morning, but when we went outside after a lecture it was suddenly freezing.

While everyone has done the get-to-know-you activities, they were actually quite enjoyable this time around. Maybe it was because we’re all in a different country, but we all have pretty much instantly clicked. It seems that no matter which bus we’re in (Bruce or Lucy as they have affectionately been named) we all get along and can have a great time. It has been amazing. I don’t think I could have asked for a better group of peers to work with for the summer.

After going through more lectures and lunch we went to the Arataki visitor center and got some incredible views of the rainforests in New Zealand. Then we finally got to actually go into the rainforest and go for a walk and talk. After some wandering around we found a place called the Kauri (a type of tree found all over New Zealand) Cathedral. The reason it’s referred to as a cathedral is because the trees are huge, tall pillars that looked similar to the columns often found in cathedrals.

Day 3

We were all very excited about today because we were going to get some time downtown in Auckland. After sitting through a few more lectures in the morning we went to the Auckland War Memorial Museum and wandered around for a while.

In New Zealand the Maori people are the indigenous people of the area and like the Aboriginals in Australia they love sharing their culture with other people. So the first thing we saw at this museum was a presentation of songs and dances from the Maori. It was a lot of fun to see. These dances included the Wakka, a traditional dance the All Blacks (New Zealand’s rugby team) perform before every match they play. It’s very intimidating.

Here’s a picture of a trumpet according to the museum. It’s from Tibet and from something like the 14^th century, but I’m not really sure.

Then we got about two hours downtown! Instead of following the group and wandering with them I got to meet up with a friend I haven’t seen in a long time, probably over a year. Alexa and I met up for some coffee and to just talk about our lives. We started planning the next weekend as well because all 19 of us will get to have a free weekend in Auckland and I want her to meet the group and vice versa.

And of course I found my black mustache dye. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, but never followed through with. The big joke here has been that I should have found Just For Men “Touch of Grey.”

Now my mustache matches one of the girl’s mustache tattoos on her finger! More pictures will be posted here as I take them and put them on my computer.

Day 4

Today has been probably the most rewarding day to date. After breakfast we drove to another site about a thirty minute drive away. Here our task was to clear out an area of forest from weeds so the native plants could thrive again. It seemed a bit daunting at first, but because there were 19 students and three interns and one professor, it turned out to be a lot of fun.

We were in smaller groups all around this hilled area and were all attacking different weeds. My group took the job of taking out the Goss plant. It’s incredibly spiky and I, along with the rest of my group, have scratches all up and down my arms. Attacking these weeds with saws and brute force was great fun and having some music playing while we did it definitely made it easier.

From there we traveled something like 45 minutes from here and went to a spot where, two years ago, trees were planted by previous students of the same program we are on now. It was cool to see the trees still growing and thriving in this place. Then came a trip down to the beach. Not just any beach, but a black sand beach. The beauty we saw here was basically indescribable. The pictures we took don’t do it any justice, but here’s one anyways:

      

Tomorrow our breakfast is the earliest it has been, but that’s because we’re moving onto another place. We’ll be staying at a place called the Marae to spend the next few days with a Maori family. We’ll be eating there and living with this family. I’m really excited and I know the rest of the group is too!

I also learned that at least one person here thinks my mustache looks fake now that it’s dyed because it doesn’t match the rest of the hair on my head. My argument to that is the fact that my mustache doesn’t really ever match the rest of my hair color.