Well, i can see why the Kiwi's call Rotorua, Rotovegas !! Its sooo over commercialised !!
I mean, its a nice enough place i suppose, and the bubbling mud pools at the sides of the roads are excitin when you first see them, but after that, seriously, once you have seen one bubbling mud pool, you have seen them all !! And the place STINKS because of all the sulphur in the area.. I mean it was a good day out and definitley a must do for tourists, but defo only once.. On the outskirts of the town there are some gorgeous lakes that will be amazing in the summer, so will defo be going back then, but not see anything but the lakes !! haha...
While we were in Rotorua, we had a bit of fun though !! We went on the luges... Which are like little karts you sit on and go down tracks on the mountain, you get to the top in a cable car type thing and then ski lift chair thingys... It was soooo much fun !
Once we were back in Hamilton, it was a leave weekend, so all the kids had gone home, and we had a couple of mates over for drinks before we went out on the town !!
I had a tattoo done the other day.. Its soooo cute, its a little lizard on the top of my foot, i have called it Pedro !! It didnt hurt as much as i thought it would do... It kinda felt like a paper cut over and over again, and it was kinda hot ! But defo worth it... I love Pedro Lorenzo Brunning !! The newest member of my family !! haha... xxxxx
Saturday, 29 August 2009
Wednesday, 26 August 2009
Duty Weekend...
Ok so i was on duty this past weekend... You may think this is difficult, and feel sorry for me, but really there is no need to!
Out of the 50 boarders that are here during the week, only about 8/9 stay over the weekend, and at the moment rehearsals for the school play (Guys and Dolls) is intense, so most of them are at that all day as opposed to whatever we are doing for the weekend.
So on Saturday, we spent some time in the school tech lab, where they made various bits and pieces which didnt resemble anything at all !! Then as the sun was gracing us with its presence, we headed out to Hamilton Gardens for the afternoon ! Hamilton Gardens are beautiful, there are about 5/6 different themed gardens, like Indian, Italian, English Flower Garden etc... They were so nice when we went, and its winter here, so they are definitely going to be the place to go to just chill out in the summer... A bit like York's museum gardens were to me back home ! haha..
So that was that, then Saturday night we watched a film called Inkheart which was gooooood! Loved that...
Sunday morning, the hire minibus arrived and after breakfast we departed for Waitomo Caves... In the bus on the way there, we noticed that of the 11 of us in the bus there were 5 different nationalities.. So we had a National Anthem singing contest.. and were treated to good old 'God Save the Queen'.. The Thai National Anthem, The Korean National Anthem, The South African National Anthem (sung in Afrikaans), and of course the New Zealand National Anthem... Of course majority voted and the Kiwis won !!! So, Waitomo caves were amazing.. Basically there is a maze of underground caves, you can go to different caves to do different activities. Because we had 9 kids with us, we went on the most sedate one, which involved us having a guided tour of the cave 35m underground, then taking a short boat ride on the river that runs through the caves and back out into day light again. During the boat ride, if you looked up onto the ceiling of the caves, all you could see were glow worms... It was sooo nice..
On the way back we stopped to get ice cream... I ticked off something on my list of things to do in NZ, by ordering the native 'hokey pokey' ice cream... which is toffee flavoured ice cream with bits of crunchie bar in it.. It's soooo good ! Next on the list is banana choc chip which was almost my choice !!
Other than that, not been up to much apart from work... It's a leave weekend this weekend, so will be going out somewhere.. Maybe Rotorua, take a trip to 'Hell on Earth'... That should be exciting...
Pictures will be coming sooooon !
Xxxx
Out of the 50 boarders that are here during the week, only about 8/9 stay over the weekend, and at the moment rehearsals for the school play (Guys and Dolls) is intense, so most of them are at that all day as opposed to whatever we are doing for the weekend.
So on Saturday, we spent some time in the school tech lab, where they made various bits and pieces which didnt resemble anything at all !! Then as the sun was gracing us with its presence, we headed out to Hamilton Gardens for the afternoon ! Hamilton Gardens are beautiful, there are about 5/6 different themed gardens, like Indian, Italian, English Flower Garden etc... They were so nice when we went, and its winter here, so they are definitely going to be the place to go to just chill out in the summer... A bit like York's museum gardens were to me back home ! haha..
So that was that, then Saturday night we watched a film called Inkheart which was gooooood! Loved that...
Sunday morning, the hire minibus arrived and after breakfast we departed for Waitomo Caves... In the bus on the way there, we noticed that of the 11 of us in the bus there were 5 different nationalities.. So we had a National Anthem singing contest.. and were treated to good old 'God Save the Queen'.. The Thai National Anthem, The Korean National Anthem, The South African National Anthem (sung in Afrikaans), and of course the New Zealand National Anthem... Of course majority voted and the Kiwis won !!! So, Waitomo caves were amazing.. Basically there is a maze of underground caves, you can go to different caves to do different activities. Because we had 9 kids with us, we went on the most sedate one, which involved us having a guided tour of the cave 35m underground, then taking a short boat ride on the river that runs through the caves and back out into day light again. During the boat ride, if you looked up onto the ceiling of the caves, all you could see were glow worms... It was sooo nice..
On the way back we stopped to get ice cream... I ticked off something on my list of things to do in NZ, by ordering the native 'hokey pokey' ice cream... which is toffee flavoured ice cream with bits of crunchie bar in it.. It's soooo good ! Next on the list is banana choc chip which was almost my choice !!
Other than that, not been up to much apart from work... It's a leave weekend this weekend, so will be going out somewhere.. Maybe Rotorua, take a trip to 'Hell on Earth'... That should be exciting...
Pictures will be coming sooooon !
Xxxx
Saturday, 15 August 2009
Wow
I forgot to tell you all, each school out here has its own Haka, and before each rugby match, even for the 12 year olds here, they do their haka !!
Its amazin... I mean when i watch the All Blacks do theirs i get shivers... But these kids are amazing... Just look at the video.. Sorry about the really bad shaking.. haha.. This is the Hereworth School Haka. The rugby team start, and then the rest of the boys in the school are stood behind and join in !
Kua haere au. Xx
Its amazin... I mean when i watch the All Blacks do theirs i get shivers... But these kids are amazing... Just look at the video.. Sorry about the really bad shaking.. haha.. This is the Hereworth School Haka. The rugby team start, and then the rest of the boys in the school are stood behind and join in !
Kua haere au. Xx
Hereworth
Well after a week off school bein ill with a sickness bug, I was back on form to support the rugby, soccer and hockey teams as they went on their annual trip across the mountains to the East Coast of NZ, to Napier!
We travelled in 2 coaches, and with a half hour stop for toilet break and lunch at Lake Taupo the journey took 5 hours... !! 5 hours in a coach with thirty 10 year old boys !! It was interestin to say the least... !
The coach that i wasnt on got pulled over by the police for speadin, and when the police man found out that he actually knew the drivers brother, he gave him a $30 fine, when it should of been about $120 !! Its all about who you know down here apparantly... haha
So Lake Taupo for lunch.... The weather wasnt great, but it was still beautiful.. The lake just goes on for as far as you can see... Its HUGE !! And coincidently is where IMNZ takes place... ! Hmmm who am i startin to sound like !! Thanks Daddy and K1 club for gettin me hooked !!
So back on the bus for the final couple of hours over the mountains (which have roads twistier and steeper than those goin up Troodos for those of you who are readin this and know what im talkin about), this was difficult for the coach and on many occasions i did actually fear for my life as the bus started rolling backwards... :S
When we got to Napier we went to the Aquarium, which was quite cool... Kinda small tho !
So once all the kids had been dropped off at their billet families for the night, the staff all met with the Hereworth staff for drinks in the staffroom, and then when that was over we went to check in to the motel we were stayin at...
When they told me we were stayin in a motel i thought of all the naff motel things you see at the side of the motorway in all the American movies, but the motels here are awesome...
I had a huge room to myself, which had a Double King size bed, Kitchen area, Bathroom with spa bath, Huge tv with sky, and another room with 2 single beds in!! I paid nothing, cuz i am now staff which is awesome, but now i know where all mummy and daddys money went when i went on school trips with Pock... Hmmmmm ;)
That night we went out for a meal at the most amazin steak house i have ever been to in my life... It was gorjusss ! Then a couple of the teachers and Michael (the other gappie) came back to my room and we played cards.. Im gettin better !! haha...
The next day we had the fixtures... The 1st team rugby lost 66-0 !! But the Hereworth boys were huge, I would say they could walk straight into the Pock 2nd team who are all between the age of 16-18, and these kids were only 12... They were massive.. The 2nd team rugby lost 33-0, there was no excuse there im afraid.. Just bad rugby.. The 1st team soccer lost 3-0 and the 2nd team lost 4-2... and the 1st team hockey lost 1-0 !! It wasnt a great day out for Southwell, but everyone had fun !!
Then the journey back... It was quieter, but still with its highlights of schoolboy naughtiness... Like one kid who thought it would be hilarious to throw a drinks bottle still half full out of the window in the roof of the bus... None of the staff saw this, but the bottle was close to hittin the windscreen of the car drivin behind us, who just happened to be one of the kids parents who had travelled to watch the matches !! UNLUCKY !!
So that was an interestin couple of days... Not really much else happenin apart from the fact that i am now lookin to buy a car... So will keep you posted on that !!
Loves xxxxx
We travelled in 2 coaches, and with a half hour stop for toilet break and lunch at Lake Taupo the journey took 5 hours... !! 5 hours in a coach with thirty 10 year old boys !! It was interestin to say the least... !
The coach that i wasnt on got pulled over by the police for speadin, and when the police man found out that he actually knew the drivers brother, he gave him a $30 fine, when it should of been about $120 !! Its all about who you know down here apparantly... haha
So Lake Taupo for lunch.... The weather wasnt great, but it was still beautiful.. The lake just goes on for as far as you can see... Its HUGE !! And coincidently is where IMNZ takes place... ! Hmmm who am i startin to sound like !! Thanks Daddy and K1 club for gettin me hooked !!
So back on the bus for the final couple of hours over the mountains (which have roads twistier and steeper than those goin up Troodos for those of you who are readin this and know what im talkin about), this was difficult for the coach and on many occasions i did actually fear for my life as the bus started rolling backwards... :S
When we got to Napier we went to the Aquarium, which was quite cool... Kinda small tho !
So once all the kids had been dropped off at their billet families for the night, the staff all met with the Hereworth staff for drinks in the staffroom, and then when that was over we went to check in to the motel we were stayin at...
When they told me we were stayin in a motel i thought of all the naff motel things you see at the side of the motorway in all the American movies, but the motels here are awesome...
I had a huge room to myself, which had a Double King size bed, Kitchen area, Bathroom with spa bath, Huge tv with sky, and another room with 2 single beds in!! I paid nothing, cuz i am now staff which is awesome, but now i know where all mummy and daddys money went when i went on school trips with Pock... Hmmmmm ;)
That night we went out for a meal at the most amazin steak house i have ever been to in my life... It was gorjusss ! Then a couple of the teachers and Michael (the other gappie) came back to my room and we played cards.. Im gettin better !! haha...
The next day we had the fixtures... The 1st team rugby lost 66-0 !! But the Hereworth boys were huge, I would say they could walk straight into the Pock 2nd team who are all between the age of 16-18, and these kids were only 12... They were massive.. The 2nd team rugby lost 33-0, there was no excuse there im afraid.. Just bad rugby.. The 1st team soccer lost 3-0 and the 2nd team lost 4-2... and the 1st team hockey lost 1-0 !! It wasnt a great day out for Southwell, but everyone had fun !!
Then the journey back... It was quieter, but still with its highlights of schoolboy naughtiness... Like one kid who thought it would be hilarious to throw a drinks bottle still half full out of the window in the roof of the bus... None of the staff saw this, but the bottle was close to hittin the windscreen of the car drivin behind us, who just happened to be one of the kids parents who had travelled to watch the matches !! UNLUCKY !!
So that was an interestin couple of days... Not really much else happenin apart from the fact that i am now lookin to buy a car... So will keep you posted on that !!
Loves xxxxx
Sunday, 9 August 2009
Auckland...
Sooooo, this weekend Laura and I headed up north to Auckland ! It was an hour and a half in the car and the views on the way were amazing !! Seriously... Everywhere you look beautiful green hills... Springs arrival is imminent, as told by the blossoms on the trees, the baby lambs and calves in the fields and the daffodils growing everywhere... Hmmmm sounds like Wales ! haha... Nah seriously tho !! Its gorgeous !!
So once we got to Auckland, we went straight to the Auckland Museum.. It was really cool cuz it showed you how New Zeland came about (because it is one of the youngest countries in the world) and other things, like where the Maori tribes originated and how the first people came to settle on the islands... And then there were war memorials, much like those in Britain, for the ANZAC's (Australia and New Zealand Army Corps) who died in many different wars... There was much more than i thought !
Then once we had finished in the museum, we headed into downtown Auckland, and up the SkyTower... This is one of Aucklands main attractions... Its a big tower which you go up in a lift.. The lift is scary man !! Its like Charlie and the chocolate factory !! The lift is glass, with a glass floor, so you can see yourself shootin up into the air !! Wow... Then we stop at the viewing platform which is all inside, and is at 280m !! Here there are also glass parts on the floor which you can stand on and look down onto the city below !! Scary !!! Then we went up another 18m to the highest viewing platform.. Thankfully no glass up here !! Just beautiful scenery !! There is a 360 degree view of the city !! The harbour on one side and the city itself on the other... Gorgeous !
We then drove to One Tree Hill to watch the sun set... The tree isnt actually there any more cuz some crazy protestor guy cut it down ( he is now in prison for it), they are apparantly growin a new one to put up there... So that was that... There are some pics on facebook, but it looks like i have been photoshopped in!! I can promise you i havent !! haha... 100% real life..
On sunday, we went to Auckland Zoo which was awesome... Im 18 and Laura is 21 and we were more excited than most of the kids there who were bein dragged round by their parents !! Crazy stuff....
Hmmmm i think thats about it for now... Loves xxxxx
So once we got to Auckland, we went straight to the Auckland Museum.. It was really cool cuz it showed you how New Zeland came about (because it is one of the youngest countries in the world) and other things, like where the Maori tribes originated and how the first people came to settle on the islands... And then there were war memorials, much like those in Britain, for the ANZAC's (Australia and New Zealand Army Corps) who died in many different wars... There was much more than i thought !
Then once we had finished in the museum, we headed into downtown Auckland, and up the SkyTower... This is one of Aucklands main attractions... Its a big tower which you go up in a lift.. The lift is scary man !! Its like Charlie and the chocolate factory !! The lift is glass, with a glass floor, so you can see yourself shootin up into the air !! Wow... Then we stop at the viewing platform which is all inside, and is at 280m !! Here there are also glass parts on the floor which you can stand on and look down onto the city below !! Scary !!! Then we went up another 18m to the highest viewing platform.. Thankfully no glass up here !! Just beautiful scenery !! There is a 360 degree view of the city !! The harbour on one side and the city itself on the other... Gorgeous !
We then drove to One Tree Hill to watch the sun set... The tree isnt actually there any more cuz some crazy protestor guy cut it down ( he is now in prison for it), they are apparantly growin a new one to put up there... So that was that... There are some pics on facebook, but it looks like i have been photoshopped in!! I can promise you i havent !! haha... 100% real life..
On sunday, we went to Auckland Zoo which was awesome... Im 18 and Laura is 21 and we were more excited than most of the kids there who were bein dragged round by their parents !! Crazy stuff....
Hmmmm i think thats about it for now... Loves xxxxx
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