Category: New Zealand

Uploaded the photos from last weekend, including a couple Michelle took. You can see them here. (Photos of Denise’s kids aren’t public, though.)

Other than that I’ve started packing up all my stuff. So far it’s 2 book boxes, 1 big box and my suitcase, but I’m thinking there’ll be another box with the winter clothes I’m taking to the South Island. My room already doesn’t feel like home anymore, with the boxes and no photos and books. Only two more days here…

Another visit with Roger, and I walked away with my last (well, for the time being at least *g*) tattoo after only a bit over half an hour’s work:

I’m so happy with it, it’s the perfect commemoration of New Zealand. It’s a kirituhi (a Maori-style tattoo, but not a proper moko), a koru, symbolizing “life, growth, strength and peace”. It’s also a feminine symbol and can be seen as a mother and child. Pretty perfect for me, I feel.

Before the Narnia movie (which I loved, and not just because I recognized a number of stunning New Zealand locations) I went to see Kathy, my hairdresser here. The result:

Quite short, but that’s the fun with short hair – growing it out doesn’t take very long at all! 🙂

Wrote my very last exam this morning. No idea how it went, really, but there’s no use in stressing out about it – I’ll just have to wait for the results. Some of them might already be released next week, when exam time officially finishes, but I should definitely know before I leave.

Later today I have an appointment at the hairdresser’s (my bangs are getting out of control and I’m looking forward to a bit of pampering) and then I’m meeting Rathy, Michelle and Meredith to go see ‘Prince Caspian’, the second Narnia movie. Looking very much forward to it, as well as to my tattoo appointment tomorrow and then the trip to New Plymouth. Have to make sure I don’t forget the kitchen stuff Denise lent me.

Anyway, time for some photos. This was my view when I got up this morning:

And on Monday it was Emma’s birthday and we met for lunch at Fidels and later for drinks at Southern Cross. She’s flying home to Iceland tonight – I’m going to miss her!

On Saturday I met up with Celia and we enjoyed another lovely walk around the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary. The weather was just perfect, as was the company! 🙂

(As always you can see the bigger picture by clicking on a photo.)

Really relieved I survived the two exams this week. Not sure at all how I did – I’m thinking ‘middling’ and hoping for ‘okay’. Now I have a week until the next one, which will be the last exam ever in my university career! I have some stuff to do until then (like get my student visa changed into a tourist one for July), but I should have plenty of time to study.

Much more fun: I bought my VicU souvenir, and it’s even better than the teddy bear I’d seen before – it’s a kiwi bird, in full regalia, wearing the orange hood for Commerce postgrad students. So this is what I would have looked like if I’d been able to stay for my graduation ceremony in December:

Yay! 🙂

So I had my very last day of regular uni on Friday. Reviews for my three upcoming exams, so it doesn’t really feel as if I’ll never sit in a lecture theatre again. And exam preparation is what this week should be all about – however, so far I haven’t even started yet.

Mostly for good reasons, like going on two daytrips with friends on Saturday and Sunday, but today I must admit to just feeling somewhat crappy and utterly exhausted and therefore not doing much. Not sure whether that’s because of a flu or because my SAD is starting to show – I’ve been having some trouble sleeping the past week, which usually is one of the first obvious warning signs for me. Just in case I picked up St. John’s Wort capsules today.

But on to more cheerful news: Saturday’s excursion to Kaitoke Regional Park with Alana and Rachel from my church was altogether lovely. First we had lunch in Petone, in a café called ‘The Screaming Turtle’, then we drove on to the park. It was chilly but sunny, and a bridal party was taking wedding pictures around the scenic creek. We walked around for a bit, checking out the area where they filmed part of Rivendell for the Lord of the Rings movies and enjoying the beautiful native forest with its fern and rimu trees.

On Sunday Rathy, her friend Michelle and I went for lunch in a restaurant right at Evans Bay and then drove to Owhiro Bay on the south coast, from where we walked along the beach to the Red Rocks and Sinclair Head seal colony. There were quite a lot of male New Zealand fur seals there, mostly enjoying a lazy sunbath. It’s quite amazing to be only a few minutes outside of Wellington and feel as if you’re in the middle of nowhere… The weather was really nice again, and we could even see the snow-capped mountains on the South Island in the distance!

> More photos from both days can be found in my Flickr album.

I managed to hand in the last three assignments that were due last week and even got one back already, with a surprisingly excellent result. This means that I can now breathe a bit easier until the exams on June 9, 11 and 19. Of course that means studying and revising, but I can take a couple of days to relax.

The weather has changed, it’s more the way I imagined winter here to be, cool and wet. But I don’t really mind, as it’s not truly miserable and I get to wear pretty winter clothes, something I enjoy. 🙂

Last weekend I’d expected a friend from the South Island to visit, but he ended up having to go back, so I had a free weekend. On Saturday I ended up going to the Food Show with Emma and some friends of hers – it was fun tasting all sorts of different foods and drinks. On Sunday I met up with Celia and Charles on Matiu/Somes Island, a nature reserve in Wellington harbour. It was the perfect day for an excursion, with clouds disappearing in favour of lovely sunshine that made all three of us very glad to be there.

The week itself was spent finishing my assignments and looking after flatmate Jessica, who’s been suffering a horrible migraine for almost two weeks now. Luckily she seems better now, after I drove her to the uni clinic on Thursday in Rathy’s car and she got codein prescribed. Yesterday evening I finally managed to go the my church’s 20s cell group, which was good, and today I went to brunch at the famous Fidels with Rathy, Michelle and Celia. I have some things I should do this weekend, like put my bed up for sale on TradeMe (the kiwi version of Ebay), but mostly I’m just determined to make the most of my remaining time here. Several excursions and trips are planned on the upcoming weekends with a number of friends and I’m looking very much forward to every single day I’m here. With the exception of the exam dates, obviously. 🙂

Sadly, I won’t be here anymore for my own chance of a fancy graduation ceremony with cap and gown, so yesterday I went to have a look at the parade of the graduates from the Humanities, Law and Commerce (my department – with orange stoles) faculties. Quite a big thing, with bagpipes and an assembly on the Civic Centre square.

It was a gorgeous day, btw, so I went by my favorite spot on the waterfront (sadly, the café there seems to have closed for winter). I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it before, but there are Wellington-related quotes all along the waterfront, on plaques and benches. I took a picture of one of my favorites:

It’s true you can’t live here by chance, you have to do and be, not simply watch or even describe. This is the city of action, the world headquarters of the verb. – Lauris Edmond

In other news: Happy birthday, Fränzi! Hope it’s a good one…