FIJI: Days 17+18

Fun fact: My former hairstylist who had been snipping my mom, aunt, and grandma's hair for years decided to drop everything a couple years back and move to Fiji. At the time I thought she was downright crazy but now I can most definitely see the appeal!

I decided to put our day and a half of Fiji into one blog because we really didn't have enough days in Fiji. I know I for one did as much as I was allowed to cram in there though. The morning after our arrival it was still raining and a bit chilly. This was only a minor distraction for Miles, Gemina and I who signed up for Scuba diving that morning. Once underwater I was instantly glad I didn't let the rain stop me from swimming through coral caves and seeing eels peek around a rockface. When it came to the second dive I do admit that I let nausea stop me from going into the 2nd dive. The second half of the day, after a nice hot shower of course, we all set out to go into the local village to buy some souveniers. One thing on the roads that you will immediately notice is two things: dogs and happy people. More happy people awaited us at the shops with a big BULA!(hello, welcome, goodmorning).

That night was our last in Fiji and also our last night for pow-wow. To put and extra WOW in pow-wow we decided to have it under the Southern stars at the tip of and sand bar peninsula. I have never and probably will never so many shooting stars in my life.

The second day started off with a splash for Van, Kevin, Lauren, Gemina, and I. A Fishing trip was in store. Little did we know that Kevin would have the only catch of the day (a stingray he caught with his own bare hands) before the fishing trip even started. We definitely still had our bonding time and some close calls with rocks and seaweed but sadly to fish (other than me of course). So with our stories straight we marched off the boat with a great tale of a close call with a 40lb yellowfin tuna. 

Day 16

Yes, today we did in fact get on a plane to Fiji!!!
Our previous "help", Jan, made sure that we would have the most trouble getting onto our flight. The flight itself wasn't too bad even though most of us were split up, but we were NOT about to complain considering we would end up in the same place. Once there 2 things happened: Peter left us in order to start his voyage to Africa again. (Miss you Peter!) The second thing was that of the wet kind. A slow rain started to build as we waited for our bus to arrive. This is where Hell began. Keeping in mind that we got into the actual bus at around 11:30 a 3 hour bus ride sounded like only one thing.. sleep. This however was quickly ruled out considering the entire road was a pothole convention. Kevin did his best as a gentleman to ease to bumps in the road for Lauren and I in the backseat but there really is not much to ease the pain of a rude awakening before the sleep begins.

Christchurch lives on

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Today seemed to be a nice day to go to the park, figuring that we really didn’t have a plan to stay in NZ any longer. We attempted to play rugby in the slippery mud/grass and then after a trip to the cozy park cafe we explored the rose garden. Netball was next, which is not my kind of game seeing as though you have to defend from 3ft away from your person and then shoot into a basket without a backboard. 

thanks a ton Chile

Today i woke up with my mind ready to travel all day and to escape the cold and wet weather of NZ but Chile has other plans. Once on the bus at 5 in the morning, Peter and GEmina were sad to say that our flight this morning to Aukland where we would have caught our flight to FIJI. Fiji was intended to be the cherry upon the sprinkles, whipped cream, and ice cream. It is with great displeasure that I am to inform you that we will be leaving Sunday the 26th at the earliest for Fiji. On the upside, there was a very conviniant Antarctica center. So we followed the blue penguin feet to where we were taught all the wonderful things about Antarctica! Not exactly a Fiji expirience but it’ll be an adventure.. or at least thats what I’m telling myself.

Carl's family lives in Christchurch.

There is work being done all around the Red Zone.

Entire blocks of businesses were closed.

I have never felt more like a tourist in my life. I did not belong in the middle of destruction of entire families and economies with a camera in hand. Christchurch is still a beautiful city the only difference is that now it is devestatingly so. A whole neighborhood is going to be demolished because of root-deep issues. Today was hard on us all seeing the city this way.

Day 12

Leo the horse and I are quite a bit alike. Other than the fact that we were both born in 1996 we are both extremely photogenic! This common trait was discovered today when Dave wrangled us up a horse ride to the top of a hill. This especially brought me back to my English saddle riding days... I was sore then and I'm sore now. After a trot up and down the hill we volunteered to help with the farm. Not having a clue as to what to do, half of us kicked some dirt and hay around until it looked right and the other half (switching off of course) got friendly with my Leo for a photo shoot. Although not many pictures were taken, it was nice that we could help a woman with work that would have taken her all day for only 45min.
Surprise surprise! We got a special treat after inner-thigh torture to go to another hot springs. The only difference with this one was that they were equipped with slides and sulfur pools. Sulfur pools weren't so great considering they turn your jewelry back and smell like rotten eggs.
The only downside of the day was that after another one of her captivating slideshows of her work at dinner, Ulla had to leave us to tramp onto her next great discovery.

Day 11

Todays assignment to make a full day of travel a little less boring was given to us by Ulla herself. One of the things she is always repeating about pictures is that they should give a story for the onlooker. Our mission for today was to capture our story of traveling across NZ in one day with only several pictures. This definately kept most of us on our toes for that next picture. I know this really taught me that it really is possible to get good photos while on the move instead of just getting out of your vehicle to take a picture.

Day 10: Pancake Rocks

There were so many crashing waves ,across the way of a cute Pancake Cafe and against the Pancake Rocks, that I could not help but to sit and listen for a little while. While sitting I decided to make the most of a (again) awesome scenery and get some O.A. pictures done. My topic that I have chosen is shadows/siloettes so Makenna, Michael, and Carson had a mini photo shoot into the sun for me. The funny thing about this was that meanwhile Peter was giving Miles a lesson on his runway walk. I suppose we are all just models behind the camera.

Day 9: HAPPY FATHERS DAY!

ID LIKE TO DEDICATE THIS BLOG POST TO MY POP!
happy fathers day daddy! wish i could be there to celebrate with you... actually no i take that back, i wish you were here with me to celebrate. i know you would just love this scenery and adventure.
Bullet points for the day:
-traveling to Hoka Tika
-met Ulla Lohmann!!! (amazingly energetic)
-wandering time at the beach by our hotel
-the only free wifi is outside of room 207
-watched and listened to a slideshow from Ulla with a local photography club

Day 8

Pretty chill day. Got caught up with work, stayed in my PJ's all day, and then had a home cooked meal courtesy of Pam :)

Glacier Hike with Prince Harry

I only have one thing to say right now and it’s that blogging is a struggle! All in all though, today might have been the BEST day I have ever had. Started off a little sad because Carson and Gemina had to stay at the hotel because Carson was still recovering (she’s fine now though). The equally sad thing was that  it was Gemina’s birthday.. what a trooper. The main thing we had planned for the day was a full day of hiking a freaking glacier!!! When we got there though the Kiwi’s in charge had other plans, they only had us down for a half day. We took what we could get and pulled on our vomit smelling but very flattering gear and trecked through the rainforest to the bottom of the glacier. There are only 3 places like this in the world, 2 of which are in New Zealand. 

Lauren and I were being total athletes hiking and taking money shots at the same time, Kevin has the videos to prove it. Walking through the paths weaving in and out of the glacier made me yearn for an ice castle of my own. Fastforward and that brings us to after arriving back to the hotel, during the time that Carson was coming up with ideas to entertain us as well as herself considering she had been cooped up inside all day. Thats when genius struck and the idea of the hot springs was brought up and everyone was SOLD.  Relaxation in the hots springs was extra satisfying for us glacier hikers. Loose muscles and all became fully clothed for dinner where rugby was on the TV. For those of you who have never witnessed a rugby game: it looks just as painful as I'm sure it really is.

Day 6

This past night was the worst sleep I've had the entire trip due to the fact that I woke up 7 times FREEEEEZING! This was only proven further when Carl tried to wash the windows of the bus this morning with almost boiling hot water and then watching it freeze before our very eyes. Today was a day of travel with a "4" hour bus ride (pretty much 6 hrs) but was dotted with occasional stops including a sunny and sand-fly-infested beach. This was unique though in the way that everyone who comes there takes and perfectly white rounded rock and writes their own message for everyone else to guess at what their story was after it is thrown back onto the beach. Later when we finally arrived to our destination the Men discovered the trampoline and frisbee. Action shots were taken and heads were almost decapitated before dinner.. I guess frisbee catching is going to be a required skill whilst living with these guys.

Day 5

Mommy, you would love this: this morning we had sunrise pics with our lovely tripods which are a pain to carry but woth it when you look back thru the pictures. Then afterwards Miles was such a gentleman and made us some omlets to give us that extra boost of energy we would need later in Puzzle world!I would not suggest the weak stomached to venture through the sights in the anti-gravity room. Pretty soon we knew we would have to do a major hike, since we are athletes and such, so today we had a test run. At the very top we were amazingly able to take a 360 degree panoramic. Peter thought that this was a good time to reflect on what it is really like to be where we are and why we are doing this. Earlier he had told us a about a method of soaking in your surroundings, he suggested that we keep our eyes closed for a good couple of minutes so that the rest of your senses highten. Opening my eyes after that just made me realize how wonderous NZ truly is. Still happy to be here:)

Day 4

Our day started off inside a cute and scrumptious bakery for breakfast. I ordered a very filling egg, bacon, and tomato pie and could not finish the whole thing. Thankfully Carson decided to help me out with the rest of it. Afterward we all were so excited for some free range for shooting in groups of 3-4. 

The rest of the day went something like this: wandering around in a graveyard, gondala ride up to a fantastic panoramic view, purchased 10n postcards for a great deal of 2.50 (which im just figuring out is sort of pointless bcz by the time they arrive to my loved ones i will already be back), lovely ride to Wanica, only 2 showers in the entire lodge, Indian food that looked like baby food, found out that there were nicer showers so i sprinted thru the cold to the communal ones, and  tonight was not the night for lightpainting so hopefully it'll be for tmrw.

overall-- best day so far

Day 3

I am currently outside my “nomad” room inside the girls hallway in Queenstown,  not to procrastinate and just get this blog done. Joe’s Complimentary Wifi connection is somewhat scitzafrenic which doesn’t help my focus whatsoever. Looking back on today at first is a blur, mostly because I have the worst short term memory of anyone I know (excluding Dory of course), but then I can remember my favorite bits and pieces and general ideas. 

Two things I know for certain; Peter made it up to me today by turning a bathroom break into a playground play date! His random act of kindness led to some hardcore parqoring, heart-skipping-almost-fall, and in the end only some aging kids out of breath because of the lack of a 5 year old’s energy. Number two is that we visited a small family run sheep/cattle farm. Here, a true Kiwi passed his knowledge onto us as he and his look alike-father, with the help of 2 adorable dogs, herded sheep into pens and up to the holding area. Once this was done, the shearing began. Along the way, artsy pictures were attempted by continually tossing up a single fuzzy and waiting for it to fall into the sunlight.... fuzzies are not agreeable. Both of these activities turned out to be equally entertaining, the only issue is that my “Dory” mentality does not care to remember of what order. Eh.. 

Note to Parental Units and Siblings: I am going to be craving Mexican food once I am back just FYI, remember that internet is scarce with all of the moving around, you have my full consent to be jealous, and love you - miss you - mean it! 

P.s. American cash DOES NOT WORK in New Zealand.. like at all.

in search of the kiwi

To start off the morning, thankfully not as early as yesterday, we had "show-and-tell". Criss-cross-applesauce style I was brought back to the good ole days as our new family chose our top shot from the previous day. Venturing onto The Olive Tree for a delicious lamb wrap, careful though because you are not likely to finish, those of us with lesser appetites boxed up our left-overs and headed onto the lake for a refreshing walk. There we took some artsy pics of Kevin... plus the trees, the lake, some other magical things all around us. From there we headed out to dinner where I ate breakfast! On the way back to the lodge we again passed by an amazingly glorious playground where we still have not tumbled around in. Peter promised... we are leaving tomorrow and he has no time left to make it up.

skip thursday

Despite a crying baby on a 14 hour flight, we landed, although unexpectedly due to a window seat without a window, in beautiful New Zealand. The lush green grass just right outside the airport was only a small indication of the glorious sites we were and still are in store to see. Noting that sunrise in New Zealand is approximately at 8:30 am, you couldn’t help but to feel like it is 3 in the morning inside the bus (if the sun isn’t up, i shouldn’t be either.). All the rough traveling was completely worth it when just enough sunlight appeared to see out the window. Excitement in voices and pointing of the fingers was all that filled the bus as we arrived to Milford Sound. We then whipped out our wicked camera gear and went straight to work. This tour boat ride consisted of mountains, dolphins, numb fingers, peeking sun, A LOT of waterfalls, many laughs and all in all some fantastic shots. It wouldn’t seem like it, but becoming trigger-happy is quite exhausting. Our energy was quickly powered up though when we stopped to either enjoy scenery or explore trails in the forest. This was quickly dissolved when the 11 hours without lunch started to kick in on the bus. Peter and Gemina finally decided that we were worthy of food (JK) but we did have some greta pizza. Still food crazy, we went grocery shopping and it was very interesting to see how a bottle of water could cost $4.99. Yeah, I don't think so. To conclude the night we had some family bonding during orientation and had to name our cameras. I will now be posting and taking pictures from my new significant other, Elliott. I think he might be in it for the long run. 

Day 1: overload and denial

The place is Spring Woods High School. The when is now. Here we have learned that we have no real knowledge of cameras. This is the real deal. Here is where I will be blogging about the unbelievable trip to New Zealand and Fiji. As a photography trip it is only appropriate that there will indeed be photos posted.
I am trying to visualize what exactly the trip will be like.... and I have to say that I am stumped. Therefore I  am still in denial. The trip will start at 3 pm on Wednesday and I have to admit that I have not started to pack. The sooner the adventure starts the sooner it will end. In a nutshell: Yes, this is happening. Yes, I have much to learn. Yes, this is enough blogging for one day.