Power Lines and Snow Covered Palm Trees

Again, overdue and for that I'm sorry. This one will be rather short since I'm squishing it between two classes. Speaking of classes, they're winding up and going well. An 85 is an A here and a 55 is a C+ so passing is actually even easier than I had hope (my grades don't transfer so i just need to get a 55). That said, I feel like I'm learning more here than at home; yeah I'm taking class I enjoy more since I don't need the credits really, but I'm finding I actually know 60-65% of whats being taught instead of being able to regurgitate 90% for one test and then forget it. It's funny though that in about 3-4 months I've probably mentioned class twice. It's kinda reflective of how "important" they are in my life but not so much of how much I'm enjoying them.

With that bit out of the way, the last two adventures I took were to the Pinnacles at the base of the Coromandel and the Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk. The Pinnacles was a last minute decision. We made other plans but they got washed away by the snow south of us. It's probably the most accessible hike in NZ. There's an 80 person hut about 50 minutes (20 if you're in shape) form the top of the Pinnacle. Pretty much it's an old logging and Billy Goat trail. They used it to transport stuff form one side of the peninsula to the other. Also, interestingly enough, there are power lines that go from one side of the peninsula to the other and the Hut we stayed in was left over form that development program. Anyways, it was quite a nice walk and one night. The stars were great and the view from the top was very picturesque (you could see to the other side of the peninsula and several miles north. Check out the pictures as usual.

Lake Waikaremoana was a much more involved hike spanning 45km and 2 nights. It's one of NZ's great walks which means it's well maintained and has several huts to ensure everyone can do it. It's also on a beautiful lake (as the name suggest) and you pretty much walk around half of it. The first day is all up hill but well worth the effort once you get to the top. Going in winter was cold but different. We really underestimated the effects of the cold on our bodies; we were warm but quite hungry (don't worry we were never close to certain danger but next time I'd bring an extra can of Beefaroni). Saw the sun rise and then set out on the 9 hour second day (20km). Very very very long and boring day until about hour 4 when we stopped at a hut for lunch. A group of local fisherman were having a BBQ for the Queens birthday and cooking up a storm. They didn't offer any to us but they had an amazing fire going so we ate lunch and then headed out to Korokoro Falls which were running pretty fast since the rain and snow of late. At about hour we came across a small private hut (some of the parks here have private land that they the government never bought up) and a nice older couple gave us tea, cookies, and warmth for a little. When we were moving we were nice and toasty but when we stopped and rested it got pretty cold. Anyways they were amazingly nice except for when they told us about the big meaty steaks and cold beers they were going to have that night. We left and it started to snow. The snow was actually amazing and quite different for me; we'd be walking through a big marsh surrounded by cliffs of palm trees and ferns, looking at the green clear water in the lake, and snow would just flutter its way over everything. Quite amazing and made the day worth it. Got to the hut and froze all night in one of the worst nights of sleep ever. Day 3 was pretty awesome because we got up at 6 before the sun and started walking as the lake got light. Some awesome snow covered bluffs and foot bridges. Again check out the picture. All and all well worth the cold and effort and certainly makes my top three favorite hikes this semester.

That's about it. Sorry if there's not that much detail but hope you guys enjoy the pictures. Next, and sadly last adventures include a trip to Tonga for four days and an All Blacks (national rugby team) game in Wellington, the southern most capital in the world. Very excited and somehow I'll have to find time to fit studying for exams in there...Pictures Pictures Pictures!