Quick update: Trips and classes

Ok, I'm going to try and update you guys really quickly about the past fantastic two weekish I've had here, despite the start of lectures, etc. Best bet is checking on my shutterfly site (ashleysnewzealandpics.shutterfly.com) as I'm trying to comment on my photos as opposed to uploading them here. Yes, there are alot of pics up there, as its easier to set up a download and then head out for a few hours...you guys have fast internet back home, just click on through :-P



The Coromandel Trip
The weekend before lectures began (February 27-March 1st), 7 of my friends and myself decided we would travel to the Coromandel Peninsula which sticks out like a thumb to the mainland; picture Auckland as the middle knuckle on the pointer finger and the Coromandel as the thumb. Weather was not so great, but we made the most of it; the rain actually made the trip more interesting in one scenario and Hot Water beach more appreciated.
Quick Rundown of Coromandel:

Friday: Drove up around the west coast of the peninsula, stopped in a town called Thames for burger #1 of 3 of the weekend. Got to Whitianga where we stayed in a hostel called The Cats Pyjamas and promptly changed and dove into Mercury Bay = my first non-Atlantic swim :-)

Saturday: It was pouring, so we killed time playing LOTS of cards before deciding to make the most of it and try to get to Hot Water Beach despite warnings of flooding. Hot Water Beach is an ocean beach that has a magma pool benath one tiny section of it which heats water; essentially, in this one spot, you get a shovel and you dig your own jacuzzi. Pretty sweet for a rainy gross day actually. To get there, we had to cross a section of road that crossed a bit of farmland that was entirely drowned...we made it through though! After getting back and showering, went to a pub for burger #2 (it was like pieces of steak...for 5$!) and watched my first rugby game, with my Irish and British friends to explain to me what the hell was going on.

Sunday: Went to Cathedral Cove, a beautiful beach with awesome eroding coastline formations. Played in the waves, walked along the coast...it was just gorgeous. Drove home to Auckland.


So that was the Coromandel...good times and my first trip outside of the city since I've arrived.




Classes began...
Then lectures started. A quick rundown of classes so far:

NZ: Half a billion years on the edge (GEOL205): Essentially an introductory course for geo and non-geo majors about the geologic history of New Zealand. Really glad I got into this course last minute as I was probably going to end up teaching myself this stuff anyways and it seems relatively easy. Professor is a bald dude with a mustache and hawaiian shirts who seems pretty relaxed. About 30 students

Fisheries and Aquaculture (BIOSCI328): Seems just like a Stony Brook class, except that the focus is more global than Northern Atlantic, particularly with the aquaculture lectures they have planned (seaweed, etc). Biggest problem with this class is that there's a mandatory 2day field trip Mon-Tues of my mid-semester break; cuts short my South Island trip by 5 days. About 30 students.

Rethinking NZ History (HIST107): Biggest class. More like a lecture series by professors on their specialties than a cohesive course. Should be pretty easy, but the lecturers assume unknowlingly that we've all taken basic NZ history in high school. Should be fine though. About 200 students.

Coastal and Marine Geography (GEOG351): Haven't really had this class yet as the coordinator was at conference in Tahiti. Kinda sucks b/c everyone took a preceding classs together before, but I spoke to my TA today and he showed me the surveying equipment (the Dumpy level) and said all I need to know is in the textbook.

General notes on classes here:
1. tests are all essays. science tests...essays. ugh, I hate essay tests, becuase I'm lazy, although I suppose there's more room for leniency in grading essays rather than scantrons.
2. My 300-level science courses are both very research-focused in both library research and field research. Both have big field trips in which we collect data to analyze as mini-research projects/papers






Bay of Islands/Northland trip
After receiving neither homework or textbooks for classes, my friends and I decided to head north to the Bay of Islands/Northland area this past weekend (March 6th-8th). I thought the Coromandel was gorgeous, but I think this trip was even prettier. Somehow reminded me of Cape Cod...therefore, I loved it and could only dream of living there.
Day by day:

Friday: Left Auckland early and headed for the west coast of Northland in search of NZ's only primary kauri forests. Found them, as well as the world's second oldest tree, Tane Mahuta which is a little over 2,000 years old. Looked like the tree they trap the bad guy in in Fern Gully...just a huuuuge trunk. The forests themselves were just so prehistoric looking, with these giant trees and fern-trees and hanging moss...so cool. Mountains were pretty too, and covered in sheep and cows, as per the usual here in NZ. Got to hostel in Paihia...nicer accomodation than Cat's Pyjamas, but much less friendly owners

Saturday:
Drove up from Paihia to Cape Reinga, the northernmost tip of the North Island (actually, a more remote spot is just a hair farther north, but its a looong trek to get there...). Saw the meeting of the Pacific Ocean and Tasman sea; the Cape was just such a dramatic landscape, it was incredible. Slowly drove back down. First we stopped at the Te Paki sand dunes...I feel weird calling them dunes, more like sand mountains. They were HUGE. Like 300ft high maybe? My friends sledded down but I was content to just wander around this almost lunar/Sahara-like landscape...incredible. Then was stopped at a spot on 90 mile beach, which is only about 60 miles actually (90km). Besides the mountainous background and rough, rough waves of the Tasman, could've easily been a South Shore beach on LI.

Sunday: Tried to get to the Waitangi treaty grounds (where the English and Maori decided to have a country, essentially) but it was privately owned and cost 20$...not worth it. The day before, my guys friends had booked us a sailboat, the only way to really see the Bay of Islands. 70NZD per person for all of us and 2 crew on a racing boat for 4 hours + a stop at a beach, etc. To be sitting on the front of a sailboat, cruising around the Bay of Islands...gah, words cannot even describe. Water was beautiful for swimming too. We came across a gamefishing boat with a 6ft shark tied and still thrashing against the side of the boat, so cool.


Ok, that was the quick and dirty update on the last two weeks. Needless to say, I am having the time of my life and making some awesome friends along the way. As I said, check out pics to get a real idea of whats been going on down here...words cannot describe so much of this stuff.
Hope all is well and the snow is finally melting in NY!!

~Ashley