Midsemester break day 2 - Mountain biking in the rainforest

Juuuahaha! New Zealand indeed is the perfect country for outdoor activity - freaks like myself. Today, we went to W.... (name to come) a forest just outside of Rotorua. It was a fantastic feeling to breath in the fresh air of the woods again! We rented mountain bikes from a couple of guys working for PlanetBike and set off into the trails. And Andreas/Audun/Stig/AS and all other mountain bike addicts: Rotorua rules, you gotta come down here!

Jorgen, inspired by Gunn Rita Dahles recent victory, is showing off in the tracks. Jorgen was the only one of us who actually had done mountain biking before...

First off, the bike was totally controlling me. It shifted and breaked in all directions - tnx to the man/woman inventing the helmet! But after a couple of fall-offs I was back in (or got fragments of) control. The forest, the tracks and the service attitiude of the kiwis helping us when we got lost made this a fab and exhausting day!

Oh yes! We like this country!

Here is a review from our visit to the Tamaki Maori village, which we visited in the evening.

1. The Waka

Enrouting to "Tamaki Maori Village", our guide instructed us on the rules and protocol of entering av "Marae" (Maori village). When entering these sacred places it is customary for the welcoming tribe to send out a challenge of piece. The warrior went through movements and recited chants until a piece offering (a leaf) was placed in front of us tourists - the "visiting tribe".

2. Te Wero (the challenge)

On arrival at the venue, nobody could enter the fortified village until the Powhiri (formal welcome) had been performed. This part of the ceremony looked quite humourous, but it was emphasized that we were not allowed to laugh, smile or peak our tongue. All of the tourists had to wait behind our chief (a poor australian picked out by the guide) throughout the ceremony.

3. Marae (the village)

After Te Wero, the "Karanga", or welcome call, echoed across the courtyard, followed by the Powhiri (welcome dance). We were then able to enter onto the village grounds where the "Tangata Whenua" or people of the land demonstrated different activities such as poi twirling, hand games and weaponry displays.

4. Hangi (earth oven)

It was now time for dinner - the traditional HANGI, which has been under the earth on hot rocks for three to four hours. The rocks are heated to a white hot state with some native timber. They are then put into a pit dug in the earth. The baskets of meat are put directly on the hot stones. This is a somewhat different way of cooking than what I am used to in Eden Cres or Botterud. Before eating, we blessed the food with a "Karakia" or prayer. Obviously, Magnus did not perform the Karakia in a proper manner, since he got seriously ill and puked 10 times the following night...

5. Poroporoaki (closing ceremony)

The evening ended with this official closing ceremony. There was a waiata (song) and a few whaikororo (speeches) before we were safely transferred back to Planet Nomad Backpackers.

Maori cooking

Maori warriors

Maori dancers

Midsemester break day 1 - hot springs and sulphur in Rotorua

After two weeks of intense working @ school, the midsemester break is finally here. Jorgen, Magnus, Mari & me have hired a car (Toyota Rav 4) and will be strolling around the northern island for a whole week. Our first stop is Rotorua (www.rotoruanz.com/home.asp), where we will stay until Tuesday. Jorgen, with his excellent driving, took us from Auckland to Rotorua in just 4 hours and 1 flat battery. We're staying at a backpacker hostel called Planet Nomad, which is quite cheap and almost charming.

From the moment you enter Rotorua, you know you are somewhere like nowhere else. Lazy drifts of steam are emitted from cracks, crevices and culverts in parks, gardens, pathways and even residential streets. These constant steam drifts, together with the distinctive scent of sulphur, let you know you are in Rotorua, New Zealand - the centre of an active thermal area. On Sunday, we went to Wai-O-Tapu , a "termal wonderland". It was quite a fascinating sight - unlike anything I've seen before.

Of course, our Toyota Rav 4 went down with a flat battery on the way to Rotorua. Q: How many male "indokere" do you need to fix a car?

Jorgen finally got to visit his best friend

Mari in front of some rather unpleasant hot sulphur springs

Jorgen was in for a sulphur spa bath, but got second thougths as he saw the water

Christian in front of "Devil's Bath" - a water pit with boiling supersulphurious water

...and in front of the "Lady Knox" geysir

Three white guys enjoying a bath in a well-hidden hot spring we came across near Lake Taupo

...life was gooooood during the midsemester break

Bitsjassmottafokkah Moe

This semesters over-my-head-project is to learn basic hip-hop moves(!) Each Wednesday, me , Jorgen join 15 other potential kiwi gangstah's , practise "the newest, coolest and most up-to-date hip-hop moves, just like you see them on MTV". (Or at least, that is what our instructor says).

Of course, things do NOT go well when I try to be 50 cent. With 15 years of soccer in my feet (that is, I can barely reach the floor) and way to few bullet holes in my body, things look kinda messy. BUT just wait and see, soon I'll be appearing as a dancer on every rap video u see! Reeeezzpect!

You'll find me in the in da club

Rugby game: Australia-New Zealand!

We have now seen the All-Blacks playing live in Auckland. The happening took place last Saturday and the game was between Australia and New Zealand. The trip was organised through kiwi experience, and we were a big group international student going to the game. The afternoon started out at the globe bar, where everybody got a free beer and barbeque. I will maybe say that barbeque was overstated a little, but at least we got some microwawed hotdogs. The atmosphere was top, and we all got All-Black face painting. Some of us looked scarier than others… Jorgen ready for the game

Kiwi experience took us further with buses to the stadium, but because of the traffic in we almost missed the Haka. The Haka is the macho “dance” the All-Blacks dance before the game starts. It is very intense and they look really crazy when they do it. But it is really cool to watch… Magnus is in heaven

The game was really a close race between Australia and New – Zealand so we got entertained. And of course most of the players started bleeding and some almost got their neck broken, so than you can say that the game was a great rugby game. The game ended 31-27 to New Zealand so the atmosphere was cheerful, and all over city you could see All-Blacks fans.

Elisabeth and Inger Johanne have of course bought a big hand so they could cheer even more:)
After the game we got a really seightseeing around the staduim, trying to find our bus. They had of course parked 1 km outside the stadium, without telling us where:) But we found it and it took us safe back to Auckland central. Then we were all really hungry, so we went to Elisabeth and Inger Johannes place and ordered a lot of pizza, talked and relaxed rest of the evening.

In a burlesque mood on K road

Last Friday night we were invited to join Liz & IJ to what we thought was a burlesque salsa show at a bar up K road. One of Liz’ classmates was responsible for the choreography, and as she is a pretty skilled dancer I pictured this would be a smooth latin-cultural-experience with professional dancers moving their hips in all directions to warm beats from South America.

All dressed up and good-lookin'(?), ready for the ultimate salsa experience

With this rather classy image in our minds, we dressed up in suits and skirts and dresses – I even put on glasses to look more serious and adult. After arriving, we had a few drinks and waited in excitement for what we though was going to take us to the next level of cultural understanding.

Christian building up his "burlesqueity"

As the show started, it did not take long to figure out that the emphasis was on burlesque, not salsa. There were only female dancers and, as the salsa music played along, they kept taking off their clothes until they wore nothing but their underwear.

Luckily, this guy kept his suit on all night

To all male (and some of the female) readers of our blog: Really sorry that I am not providing you with photos from the show – photographing was strictly prohibited. Besides, since I was watching the show with 5 female friends + girlfriend, I really did not have the right incentives to borrow my girlfriends camera and start running around to take pictures. So instead, I bring you some pics from before and after the show.

Liz and IJ also kept their clothes on all night, as far as I know.

Tramping trip in Waitakere National Park

Last weekend we went on a tramping trip in Waitakere national Park. It was really cool! We were 40 people on the trip so it was really fun, and we got to know a lot of new people. The nature here is just so fantastic, and very different from Norway. The national park is all rainforest so it felt like walking through a jungle. There have been a lot of rain lately so we got pretty muddy. When we came back we just had to wash everything we had taken with us on the trip, because everything was covered in mud.

We will write more later, but here are some pictures from the trip.

Little update about we are doing right now

Yes it is a little too much to do right now. We have like four assignments that we have to deliver + three midsemester tests. I had my first test yesterday, it was in macroeconomic. It went fine I think:) Great to be finsihed with one at least. But there is just one week to go and then we got a two weeks midsemester break, so you don't have to feel sorry for us. The day is just a little short to have time for everything. I have started my Yoga classes now. The first time I tried it I thought it was really strange, we just stood in a lot of strange posisitons for several minutes, but I thought the second time was a little better. I think it is a form of excercise that I need to practise on, because the breathing is really important and I think I will need some time before I get used to it. But hopefully it will get more fun after some time. Christian still dances Hip hop, and so far I have got a dance show every wedensday night:) So we will probably see him on MTV very soon:)

I really looking forward to this weekend though, because then we are going on a salsa show on friday, and rugby match between Australia-New Zealand on saturday. So that will be really fun I think. We promise to put out some pictures and write about it some time next week

Cheers

Reeeal sorry folx!

We are very sorry for not updating our blog the latest 2 weeks. School is taking way 2 much time, we are up to our necks with midterm-tests, mandatory assignments and other boring stuff. BUT, there will be a full report from last weekends Waitakere tramping trip in just a couple of days - so hang in there!

Skiing at Mt Ruhapehu

After spending the weekend at Mt Rapehu, the biggest NZ alpine resort, our bodies are aching but our mouths are indeed smiling.

On friday, Jørgen, Mari & me joined up with Henrik (UniTech) and Aleksander (UniTech) and drove 5 hours straight to Okahune. Henrik had made use of some flirting skill he probably learns when studying hospitalisation management and gotten hold of a whole house for us to live in. The name of the house? What'ya think? "The Kiwi House"? Think again. It is named "Fjellheim"(!) - as it is previously owned by some norwegians. Anyways, the house was all great - we even had a fireplace!Arriving Okahune in the middle of the night, we had a hard time finding something to eat. How come no grocery shops keep open at 0130 am? We found

that we had gotten a little to used to Foodtown in Auckland, which is open 24/7. Since none of us had eaten since 17pm, we drove around downtown in pure desperation looking for a snack or a slice of bread. Unfortunately, nothing was open, except TCB a shop that rented out clothes and board. Since none of us had any gear for skiing we had to rent everything. So we got really cool, matching skidresses, and snowboard and boots. Really quality equipment:) I still have "blaamerker" on the back of my leg from the boots.

After 4 hours of sleep we woke up to a blue sky and a big sun:) Christians red sign went up right away and he rubbed him self desperatly in with the suncream:) The mountain were really cool, we had to drive through rainforest on the way up, so it we didn't excately get a feeling that we were going for skiing. After we had stand i line for about an hour we were ready for the downhills. In the begining the snowboard were controlling me, but after some time I started to be the boss again:)

After a whole day in the mountain we went back to the cabin, made some good food, played card, drank some bear and fired up the oven. We wasn't excactely gentle with the fire, so we kept it going until the ventil that controlled the hot water said stop. Then we got some nice heavy fall of rain with hot water over the cabin:)

Relaxing in the cabin after a whole day in the alpine resort

On sunday the weather was rather windy but we went out to do some skiing that day too, but after just 2 hours all the lifts were closed down because of the heavy wind. So then we just packed our stuff and started on our way home. It was really a great trip, and it was fun to see some more of New Zealand!!!!

To fornoyde skruller etter et herremaltid pa Mc Donalds