Tuesday morning I felt very confident going into the test. Most of the questions were from previous years exams and the others seemed fairly straight forward. However, there was only 8 questions and the test was worth 20% of my grade! I have my fingers crossed. We are now really starting to studying wool and its pieces of value. There are actually 5 pieces to a sheep's wool; 1st pieces, 2nd pieces and lox, fribs, bellies, and neck/back. We learned about what the proper procedures are to take prior to shearing. These would be simple things like not mixing your herds; you don't want merino wool getting mixed with romney. Another procedure would be to empty out the sheep at least 8 hours prior to shearing, this way there is nothing getting mixed in with the wool. I hope to start learning about the crimps for each breed and desirable characteristics so maybe I can go back to CSU and wool judge.
Wednesday morning I got up early to study for my consumer behavior test. I didn't do any studying for it until the night before, but I think its a straightforward subject. I take the test, there was 2o multiple choice and 3 short answer essay. Overall I think it was one of the easier tests have had to date (knock on wood).
The rest of the week I was looking at places to travel for the weekend. I have been wanting to go to the North Island but the air fares right now are not the cheapest. So I plan to go up before finals begin and take a four day weekend to see Rotorua and Gisborne. Thursday night arrived and I decided to go to Kaikoura, I wanted to go whale watching and scuba diving. I decided to go alone actually. I mean after traveling half way around the world only to go vacationing with Americans seemed a bit contradictory to me. Anyways it would be nice to go out meet new people and not have to worry about anyone else.
Friday afternoon I was able to catch a ride with some other Lincoln students who were traveling up to the North Island to go on the Uni's five day field trip. They dropped me off around 4:00pm. And since I do have the best of luck, it was raining, not just that but it was a downpour. Ahh lovely, welcome to Kaikoura. In Maori legend, Kaikoura Peninsula was the seat where the demigod Maui sat when he fished the North Island up from the depths of the sea. Kaikoura is also the closest to see whales. Do to the large continental shelf by Kaikorua it makes the perfect habitat for the sperm whale population. This makes it the closest piece of land to whale ratio.
Well once I got settled in I started making arrangements to do some activities in the area for the next few days. I really wanted to go scuba diving. However, they only let really experienced swimmers go out in case something were to go wrong. And seeing as how I cant ever swim, I decided not to even go there. So I made plans to go whale watching. Kaikoura had three options to see the whales; helicopter, plane or boat. I really wanted to do the helicopter since Ive never been in one, but the weather decided otherwise. It was a cold rainy day and visibility was limited so I had to go with the boat option.
Saturday morning I walked through the town of Kaikoura. It is a nice small home town really driven by the fishing industries. After I did some gift shopping it was time to head to see the whales. It was a three hour boat ride. And it will be my first time ever on a boat out at sea!!!! The tides were high and the rain poured but we finally came into contact with a sperm whale. To locate the whale, the captain used a sonar system that he lowered beneath the boat which then picked up the clicking noises whales make. You can determine how long the whale has been down and when they should come to surface. The sperm whale stays below water for about 45 minutes until they surface. We were able to see two whales and then the captain took us over to see some dolphins. On the way, I even spotted my first shark!!! Ya I'm thinking it's a good thing I didn't go scuba diving after all. We reached the dolphins and there were around 300 of them. They were jumping and doing flips in the air. Some even came and swam along the boat. It was a very neat mind boggling experience. I have never been out to sea let alone seen a dolphin or a whale. The afternoon was a success.
Sunday morning came and it was the first time I've seen the sun since I was in Kaikoura. I decided to do the Peninsula Walkway. It was a 3-4 hour walk which took you all around the Peninsula of KaikouraKaikoura. At this point I'm really starting to wonder why I didn't bring hiking shoes this weekend. My last hour took me through the forest and another farm. The farm land is still so green and vibrant, especially for autumn. Finally at 1:00pm I reached Kaikoura, my feet were killing me, I was dripping with sweat and desperately wanted to shower. Later that afternoon I had planned to go out and go deep sea fishing. There was a tour company that would take you out so you could catch cod, crabs you name it and then you got to keep your catch....but of course the weather was bipolar and instantly changed to a heavy downpour. All of the activities I really wanted to do were either limited by the weather or the fact that I couldn't swim. Hum....I think it's time to learn!!
Monday came. It was icy cold outside and there was snow on the mountains. The boats had all been docked and couldn't go out due to the severe weather advisory. So I spent the morning in a nice cafe enjoying a cup of coffee and reading a book. I was finally able to catch my bus back to Christchurch at 4:00pm. I arrived in the city at 6:30pm and it was raining, of course. Since the earthquake the bus routes have been altered and I was never able to find out where each bus was supposed to go. So I asked around and ended up hitchhiking! Ahh yes needless to say I was nervous there for a while. I didn't recognize any of my surroundings and my imagination was running wild. But I did get dropped off at Uni and in one piece.
The weekend was a success even if my activities were limited due to the weather which was hardly ever in my favor. I loved going out and traveling by myself. It was nice to have some time alone and reflect my time spent in New Zealand. The more time I spend here, the harder it becomes to think I'm going to have to leave in 6 weeks. I have really grown to love the atmosphere here and the agriculture. Its nice to see an entire country so aimed towards ag rather than development and shopping malls. One day I hope to come back and have my own place in New Zealand.
Everyday my actions and decisions have been a result of the February 22nd earthquake that struck Christchurch. This weekend the city experienced another massive aftershock of 5.3. It poured more liquefaction into the streets and homes of the residents who live in this city. Power was lost to numerous homes and debris continued to fall from previous destructed buildings. It is so hard to see the people who have made Christchurch their home have to continuously restart and pickup their lives. Just when they believe again and have hope more destruction is brought to their lives. No one died which is greatful but on the same note I can't help but wonder how these innocent people keep going through all of this hurt. Is it best to pick up and leave? Or is it best to stay, stay at a place you call your home no matter what the result is. Everyday I admire the people of Christchurch more and more. They are such strong, capable, and faith driven people it inspires me. I'm currently working on joining the student army. Students go out on a regular basis and help rebuild Christchurch. I think it would be an amazing and valuable experience.
you have the same name as me!:)
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