Friday in North-land

Best Day Ever

Internship/Cape Reinga/90 Mile Beach/ Cable Bay/Fish & Chips

        I'm going to be honest and say this had to be one of my favorite days ever! I had no idea where or what he was taking us to do, but it turned out to be one of the best days I've ever had.

        The day started out in a rather weird way. I hadn't slept all night. I was up tossing and turning, because I hadn't received an e-mail yesterday about internships. I didn't know if I was reject or accepted, and this was very hard for me. So all night I was up thinking about what would happen (Literally ALL NIGHT. I went to bed at about one-thirty, then woke up at two-thirty and looked at my watch every twenty minutes until six fifteen.) Anyway, we had to leave early in the morning because we were going to ninety mile beach today. Now when you go to ninety mile beach, you have to watch the tides. You have to go on low tide. So for this reason we had to leave super early. This created a problem trying to find out internships. NONE of the internet cafes were open this early, and would be closed long before we got back. We all were very worried and didn't know what to do. Seeing how we were all worried Jim figured out a plan with one of the owners of the internet cafe. He gave us the password, and we could come tomorrow and sit outside the window and get connection. So at seven o'clock in the morning, we all went and sat out the window of the internet cafe. 

         I was sitting in front of the internet cafe, and I was very scared. As much as I wanted to check my e-mail I didn't want to check my e-mail either! I logged on to the internet and opened my e-mail. It showed me I had five new e-mails in my mail. I went to my inbox, and I had one from Adam Eskelson. It was a job offer to teach 5th grade at Nibley Park Elementary School! I WAS SO EXCITED! I immediately called my mom to talk to her! She was with Ashlyn, so Ashlyn answered the phone! Ashlyn was so excited to talk to me! She told me all about her soccer game that she had scored a goal in and everything going on! It was so much fun to hear her. Then the funny part I said, "Ashlyn, tell Grandma I am going to be a 5th grade teacher." Ashlyn said, "Nanc, that's cool, but I don't really care. You can talk to her later. I just have to tell you this!" ha ha! It was so funny! She was the first to know, and told me she didn't really care! It made me really happy! I was glad to be able to talk to her! Then later she gave me the phone, and I quickly told my mom, but then it was time to go, because we were off to Cape Reinga!              

 

(Nibley Park Elementary School. Where I will be teaching next August) 

       These Next photo's are our happy faces after we figured out we were all going to be teachers! It's crazy to think, I am a really teacher!

 

      Now that the relief was gone, we were able to just enjoy the rest of the trip! We headed back to the hotel to pick up the rest of the girls who didn't apply for internships, and then we were off to the tiptop of New Zealand, Cape Reinga! 

      Cape Reinga is an old Maori sacred ground. They believed that this is where the spirit comes into the world, and where it leaves the world. This is a very sacred place to these people. Along with this, it is one of the few spots in the world where the tides of two oceans meet. At Cape Reinga we see the Tasman Sea  and the Pacific Ocean come together. The waves and tides meet and then crash against each other then create a new tide. This is where we were headed up to. 

        We get up there and there is a mailbox. It's the most Northern Point in New Zealand, so you can mail it from the tip of New Zealand. I decided I would send my family some postcards. Although I didn't have ANY addresses with me, so Natasha's, Natalie's, Papa's and my Parents are going to my mom's house then they will have to disperse them from there. Carol and Chuck, I really hope you get yours. I knew your address but not your zip code, so I made up a zip code, and I hope it gets to you! These will probably get there after I get home, but that's okay, I may get to give them to you in person! 

 

     After we mailed our postcards, we headed off to see the tides collide. While we were walking there, the first thing you see is a little tunnel that when the wind blows it whistles and sings. Although that seems so simple, the beauty of everything around you and the perfect a that it plays makes it incredible. After walking underneath this tunnel, you walk around and you see the pacific ocean on one side. It is an absolutely incredible view. The mountains, the greenery, and the ocean creates a perfect scene.

 

     Then you walk around to the other side of the tip, and you see the Tasman Sea. This is another absolutely incredible view! With this you could begin to see the lighthouse that was at the very very tip. This was incredible to see.

 

          After this we walked up and explored around the lighthouse. We were able to see where all the different places in the world were. This was pretty neat. It also was something else to look out and see nothing but water. It's an incredible thing to see.

         After we explored the lighthouse, we went and hiked up to the top of the mountain. It was quite the hike up there, that I wasn't sure if I was going to do, but now looking back I am so glad I did. This was my favorite place in all of New Zealand! On the way up, it had a stone describing what the two tides were and what it symbolized. This was really neat.

          It was absolutely incredible.We walked up there and looking out watching the tides collide, and seeing the beauty all around us was incredible! It was such a spiritual experience, and such and an amazing time to sit and reflect on everything in my life, and the blessings I have been given. I could not have asked for a more incredible experience. I realized I had so much to be grateful. All of my family and those who love me and I love, some of the best friends in the world, getting offered an internship position, and so many more things. It was an incredible experience. I could have spent the entire day just sitting there.

 

         On our way up James told us how proud he was because he had planted a tree. Then as we were all talking about it, we wanted to help out and plant a tree as well. So we planted 5 trees in Byu's name. Emily, Nicole and I got to plant one! It was great! I have the coordinates and everything! Now whenever I make it back to the tip top of New Zealand, whoever I am with I can take and show them my tree that I planted! New Zealand turned me green! 

     After this, it was time to head out to ninety mile beach! Now the thing to do at ninety mile beach, is wait until the tide is low and then you get to drive from the top of the beach to the bottom of the beach! Not on the road, but on the sand! This was so much fun! I was a little bit scared at first! We are in two GINORMOUS vans and I was so scared we were going to sink! Also if we miss the tide or we do sink, we are stuck, and our van goes out with the tide and you can't get it back! 

     So we start driving, and this was seriously one of my favorite things ever! It was so relaxing! We had the windows down the music going and we were all rocking out and singing to Abba and Grease! Even James our drive was singing! It was so much fun! Driving on the sand we saw birds, we passed the hole in the rock, we saw people fishing, we could hear the waves coming in, had the smell of the ocean, and we even had a little bit of an adventure.

     Our adventure began as we were getting ready to get off the beach (since we had driven it all.) So James missed the cut off and wasn't sure what to do! ha ha! So we pulled off and asked fisherman to make sure we had really missed and sure enough he had! So as we start to leave after talking to the van James goes, "Uh oh. Girls we are sinking." We all didn't believe him and then he said, "Girls, really get out push! We are sinking." So we hopped out of the van, and hurried to push it so it didn't get stuck in the sand and the tide didn't take it away! No worries though, we made it, and we were safe! We pushed the van out and we were able to get back on the road! It was really funny though!

         We got to the end of the beach and then James took us over to the Sand Dunes! Now we couldn't drive anything with a motor, so instead, we got to boogie board down the sand dunes! It was so much fun! I was laughing so hard! I'm going to be honest and say it took quite the hike to get up there, but it was well worth it! James kept wanting someone to go off the lip of the hill, but the sand would always stop it. No worries though, I was the first to go down the hill and succeed! It was so much fun! Who would have thought, Sand Dune Surfing!  

         After that we went in and went swimming in Cable Bay! We really wanted to maximize our time left in New Zealand, we didn't know how many more beach days we would have so we wanted to make sure we made the most of it! Unfortunately, we were swimming, so we didn't take any pictures! But trust me, it was another one of those gorgeous bays!

         We finished taking a dip in the ocean, and James took us to dinner. He should us the best place to get fish and chips in New Zealand! Not going to lie either, it really was the best fish and chips in New Zealand! Not only that but the view it had looked like it should come right out of a movie! We sat on a bar that overlooked the ocean and had sail boats out in the middle and it was the perfect view! I had a Peachie (A drink that is incredible), fish and chips! It tasted so good after our eventful day! 

        Mhmm...They were delicious! I am going to miss having really good fish and chips! After that we went home and we went to bed really early! Like I said we didn't get much sleep at all/none. We quickly got ready for bed spent a little bit of motel fun, and then headed to bed! It was such a fun day though! Like I say I think this was one of the best days I have had over here! The things we did were incredible and I loved every minute of it!