Auckland Museum

   (Nancy, Hannah)

      Well yesterday, we got to go to the Auckland Museum. None of us really knew what this was, but it turned out to be really neat! It started out and we were suppose to be picked up at nine fifteen. So Hannah and I were got ready and were waiting to get picked up. It came to be nine fifteen, and no one was there. We thought, oh it's okay they are just a little late. It got to be about nine thirty, and we are starting to be just a little bit worried, but not too much yet. So we keep waiting. It gets to be ten o clock and we decide we should call Jim. Well he answers and says, "He hasn't got you yet, well keep waiting. We are waiting for you so just wait." Then about ten fifteen James comes to pick us up. Turns out he got a little bit lost coming to our house. But no worries. We weren't left and the group waited for us! 
       Anyway we got there and Jim gave us our tickets and everything we needed then we got to go explore! This museum was so cool!

  (Anna, Nancy, Rebecca)  

    On the first floor, everything they have is dedicated to Maori, and the culture of the Maori people. This was really neat to be able to see all of the things they had made from many years ago. We got to see a typical house, some of their boats, and a sacred house. In the sacred house, you always remove your shoes. We were able to remove our shoes and go inside. This was really neat. The wall designs were so detailed.

(Jessica, Christine, Nancy, Emily)

       After we had wandered around for a little while, we went to a Maori Culture show! This was one of the highlights of my day! We got to see the haka!

     We also got to see some the dancing. The girls with the poi were so amazing! Especially since Paea tried to teach us, it was so hard! I couldn't even believe it! They were so good! We also got to see them do the te raka. We did this in class with two people. Even though I was the champion, it was still hard. Then they started doing it with three people, I was so impressed! I was amazed!

    After the show, we and explored the museum a little more. The second floor was all about the natural history of New Zealand. This was really cool. They talked a lot about the volcano, and one of the eruptions. They even had an eruption house. We were able to go in and see what it would have been like to be sitting in your house during the eruption. I decided that is something I am very scared of.

 

    On the third floor, it was all dedicated the wars. This was really interesting to me. I've decided that in the states I forget that the different wars effected the other countries as well. Like I know that they did, but being over here and seeing their memorials made me understand it a little bit better. This was really neat. 

    After we had finished looking around the museum, we went over to Kelly Tarlton's Aquarium. This was pretty cool. It's right off of mission bay. The first thing we did was go to the Sting Ray encounter. This was so cool. I have never seen sting ray this big in my entire life! They were gigantic!! The sting ray would come right up by the edge, and even put their fin over the edge. Sometimes they would even splash you...needless to say I got a little wet here. They were fascinating.

 

     After the show we went over to the penguin ride. This was really cool. They had it set up so you got in a little car/snow car like you would in Antarctica, and then they took you around, and you were able to see a lot of penguins.

 

(Allison, Nancy, Rebecca)

      After the little ride, we went under the water to look at the sharks and the fish. This was really neat. You stepped onto a moving track, and it just took you around. There were fish all around us. The sharks looked really scary. Their eyes are bead eyes, and I decide I really don't ever want to come across a shark. Although this was really neat to be able to see them so up close!

(Janet, Anna, Nancy)

    After we went to the shark thing, we got to go play in the little kids area! This was so much fun! We all enjoyed this. Some of the stuff was  kind of hard. They had you match the sounds to the animals, but they were sounds of different penguins. It was pretty hard. It was really fun!

 

(Back: Kara, Nancy, Anna Front: Allison Christine Diana)

(Christine, Nancy)

    Once we had played, it was time for us to start heading out. As we were walking out though, they had the most poisonous fish known to man. I thought that was pretty cool. Scary, but cool so I decided I would take a picture to show you!

     Anyway, all in all, it was a really fun day! I enjoyed it a lot. Tomorrow we are flying out to the South Island for about two weeks, so there won't be very many updates. I'll do what I can, but most will come when I get back!

Devon Port

 

(Hannah, Nancy, Jessica, Kara)

    Well this week on Thursday some of the girls and I decided that we were going to go up to Devon Port. Okay, so really we didn't decide to go up there, so guys from the YSA invited us to go up with them as a group. None of us really knew what we were getting into, but we were so glad we went! It was probably the prettiest thing I have seen so far! It had the most breathtaking views, and some of the neatest caves to explore! 

        Anyway, what this place was, was a an old military look out. They claim it was when the US was "thinking" about invading New Zealand, but I don't know if I really believe them. But I don't know any better, so it probably was. Anyway we get there and it's a little hike. It's really easy, but a nice like hike up a hill. We get to the first little flat spot, and this is the view we have! It was gorgeous with the sun setting.

(David, Nancy, Christine, Kara, Gram, Hannah, Jessica, Allison, David)

(Nancy, Hannah, Christine, Jessica, Kara, Allison)

(I'm pretty sure this is exactly what I pictured New Zealand to look like)

 

(Nancy, Hannah)

       After we had taken our pcitures, (the poor guys had no clue how many pictures all of us girls would want to take), anyway, we walked up and there were these huge cannons just pointing out. They were huge. It was really cool! They said they were actually used. It was really neat!

 (Nancy, Allison, Kara, Jessica, Christine, Hannah)

     It was really fun to be able to climb up on them then look out over the ocean. It was so pretty. I'm pretty sure I could have sat there for hours! But no worries they kept us moving along to see all of the cool and exciting thing. The next place was the hide out they used. It was little round circle with bench and a place for food, and then where they would hide to get cover, so no one could tell they were there!

 

 (Hannah, Nancy, David)

       After that we walked up just a little ways, and it was time to explore their caves! This was incredible! There were hall ways, and little benches carved out, they even had look outs that would allow you to see so much of the ocean! This was incredible! I wish I would have brought a torch though (torch is what they call a flashlight.)

(Nick, Kara, Allison)

 

(Gram, Allison, Jessica, Kara, Nancy, Hannah, Christine)

 

(Allison, Jessica, Kara, Nancy, Hannah, Christine)

 

 

     Once we came out of the cave it was time to go up and explore a little bit higher. This time we walked up the stair passage they had built. It was really tight, an kind of over grown by the bush, but it was so cool!

(Allison, Kara, Nancy)

      Once we got to the stop of the stairs, we got to see the prisons that they were going to keep all of the prisoners in. They were really little! I don't think they were expecting to have very many. A little ways up there was a bigger one, but this first one, I would have hated to have been stuck inside.

(Hannah, Allison, Christine, Nancy Jessica)

 (Christine, Allison, Hannah, Jessica, Nancy, Kara)

     We kept walking up to the top of the of hill/mountain, and we came up on the big cannons! It looked so pretty with the sun setting. We couldn't have asked for a prettier view! It was gorgeous!

       Once we got up there, there was a cave to go down the be bottom and see how they would climb up there. We were able to see how big they were, where they would sleep, where they kept food, all of their different things. It was really neat to see.

 

 (Allison, Hannah, Nancy, Kara)

     After we climbed up to the very top of the cannon, I think we had the prettiest view yet. The sky tower and the cannon silhouette plus the sunset. I'm sure these pictures don't do it justice, but still even the pictures are really pretty!  

 

 This is the city that we came up from to get to Devon Port.

 And this is the view you had when you got to the top of the mountain. How pretty is it? Doesn't it just take your breath away? I'm sure isn't even close to doing it justice, but I must say, this was one of the prettiest things I have seen my entire life.

(Nancy, David, Gram, Jessica,Christine, Hannah, Kara, Allison)

     After we had sat up there for hours and admired the view, and the stars (of which were incredible, and I got to see the Southern Cross!!!) we decided we would had back down. They wanted to take us into town and go to the port to show us a little more. Once we got down there, we got to see a tug boat! It was really cool. I think I might have only seen one actual tug boat before this.

     Then of course we had to get one last picture of the city light across the port. This was incredible. Tonight I easily saw some of the prettiest things I have ever seen. The views were gorgeous and it just showed the beauty of the World. It was incredible! Needless to say, we had a really good time!

Science Class

   Well school is officially over now! It was the best thing in the world to only have seventeen days of class! I am pretty sure that every semester should be taught that way! I would definitely sign up for it! Anyways science class was pretty fun! We did a lot of fun experiments. The first day we made paper fly across the room with out even pushing it! It was so amazing! I couldn't even believe it! It turns out that "Bishop's Fly." That was the clue he gave us. He made all get paper and try and make it fly, none of us were very successful. Then he showed us how to do! I was amazed! Then we got to play around with the design and see who could get theirs to fly the smoothest and the farthest. We never actually measured, but I'm sure if we would have I would have won! 

 It was really fun! The next day in class we got to play with balloons and tables. He said we are going to put a lot of balloons on the floor, we are then going to take this table turn it upside down and see how many of you can stand on it. No way did I think this would work! I thought for sure that the balloons would pop! Guess what we got ten of us all on one table about the size of two school desks! It was CRAZY! After we talked about it though it made sense. That's why cars work and things like that! ha ha! I just didn't think about it soon enough! It was so much fun! 

The next day was by far one of the coolest things ever! We read the story of the gingerbread man! Then we talked about why the gingerbread man got on the wolf's back, for those of you who are confused, it's because it was scared of the river! He knew it would harm him. This is why we got to explore what happens to ginger biscuits in water!

 

This was me just playing around as we observed them.

Anyway though after that, we realized the gingerbread had candy buttons and we had to see what would happen to the buttons in the water! We got to watch what happens to M&M's in water, I must say this was one of the coolest things I have ever done! They made some pretty sweet patterns.

  

(This was my amazing group. Emily, Katie, Nancy, Rebecca)

    After doing all of these experiments, we found out that the gingerbread man would turn into mush, and the candy buttons would lose the color first, then the sugar would detach, but the chocolate would just stay there! It was so cool!

     The next day we got to play around with sound! First we put several objects in balloons and found out what different sounds could be made with them. Jessica and I decided that we were starting and all balloon band. It's going to be so cool! When we are famous, and it costs big bucks to get into our concert, you all will get in free don't worry, because you heard about our balloon band first. Did you know if you put a nut (like the tool nut) in a balloon it makes a buzzing noise? It was so cool! We even had a chord of buzzing when we put three different sized nuts in the same balloon, soo cool! We also did some other things with the balloon, like blowing them up with a chemical reaction, and several other things. My group was by far the best.

Then after we got to  make the talking strings. Then Jessica had never made a telephone before, so I helped her out, and we made her first telephone! Good News it worked!

 

The next day in class we got to teach lessons to a group in our class. This was one of our assignments we got graded on! No worries it went very well! Here is a little from my group. By the way do you know what is in the middle of a popcorn kernel? I taught my lesson on this.

Now I know you are all very curious what is on the inside of the kernel so I will inform you! In the middle of popcorn is tightly packed molecules of water. When you heat the bag up, the water turns into a gas and breaks the shall therefore allowing the popcorn to pop. Crazy huh? Just a little state change of water. It's that incredible who would have guessed.

    Then today, was the last day...yes this was my last day of class this semester!! It feels so good to be done with all of school for this semester! Anyway in science today, we had a rocking day! We started out, and we got to explore seeds, and fruits and veggies. It was pretty cool.

 

     After this we got to make volcanoes! We even got to see the sand explore! It was soo cool! Well except for the second time we did it. I wish I would have got this on camera. We dumped the film thing upside down, and we didn't think we got it on tight so it wasn't going to work. Well guess what I decided I'd go take it out. About as soon as I decided to take it out, it decided to blow! I got a face full of stuff.

 After this we got to make balloon rockets and had wars! I have to tell you mine won! YEAH!! I was the ultimate balloon rocket maker! It was so much fun! Anyway that was what we did in science today! It was a lot of fun! And it was the last day of classes!