Getting Wild on Waiheke

The bus we took on our tour

For our first traveling weekend we decided to take it easy and go up to Auckland and take a ferry to Waiheke Island for a tour and a bit of wine and beer tasting:) We were by my host mum to bring sunblock and hats because the sun gets hot here and it did! It was such a beautiful day we even got some color in our cheeks which was a nice departure form the cold we had come here with. We got up early to make the hour train into Auckland. Once in Auckland we had a little bit of time for some coffee and walking around. The ferry made it to the Island where we then had to find our tour bus. Our tour driver Tracy was hilarious and reminded us of Megan from Bridesmaids which made the afternoon even better!

Entrance to Stonyridge Vineyard

Our first stop on the tour was at Stonyridge Vineyard where we were greeted with a glass of white wine and a very nice Australian man. He told us a little bit about the land and the wine process. Then we got to sit down to a delicious lunch. I had a chicken quiche, salad, cheese, crackers, and a tasting of red wine. We met some very nice people from all over that were very interested in our upcoming election and also about who we were.

     

Vineyards we saw along our trip





We then stopped at Rangihoua Estate which grows olives and makes their own olive oil. We got to see a little bit of the process and then were able to  sample some of their award winning olive oil. She said that they are ranked in the top 20 of olive oil makers in world pretty cool. She also told us that if we are buying olive oil to be good it needs to be bought in a dark container not clear and stored somewhere dark not out on the counter top so for any of you doing this STOP! ha The olive oil was definitely very interesting. Before she told us what we would taste like grass and apple I really wasn't sure what to expect. It definitely wasn't anything like I had tasted back home it was very fresh and it did taste like grass. We also sampled a dip spread which was yummy.


The third stop was one of our top two was called Wild on Waiheke and right away it lived up to its name there were people doing archery and laser shooting. It seemed like such a fun place. Here we got the chance to sample two wines and three different beers. We were excited for the beer because they said it was brewed right there and they took so much pride in it. They also make their own rum by a man who has ancestors that were pirates on the island. We didn't try this because it was very very strong and we could smell it just from talking to people!

We are here to partyyyy!

    

Our fourth and final stop which was probably our favorite was Mudbrick Vineyard! This place had the wine but the view was worth the whole trip. When we arrived we were given some white wine. Then we had a little bit of a climb up to the top of the hill. Our incentive was more wine! Once we got to the top it was incredible it didn't even seem real. I was on an island in New Zealand drinking wine it doesn't get better than that! We made our way down to the bottom and got another glass of wine along with a sample of their sparkling wine which were both delicious. We had to hurry to get back on the bus with Megan (or Tracy) and were dropped off to make our ferry back to Auckland. Once back we walked around a bit and go on the train to Swanson. We were so lucky to make it home in time for Hocus Pocus our favorite Halloween movie which my host family had no idea about so it was fun to see it for the first time through their eyes!

Below are the views from Mudbrick too beautiful to describe!

Well that is all for now I have been planning my week of lessons all day today it should be an exciting week until next time.

Cheers! (Literally)

First Days in NZ

It has been a really great couple of days here in New Zealand. We got in on Monday and my host mum Jan picked us up from the airport. She gave us a little tour around Auckland and we went up to One Tree Hill which coincidentally has no tree on the top now! So we drove the winding rode all the way up to the tippy top where we could see out for miles which was a really great place to first take us so we could see all around where we would be staying. There were a lot of sheep around which was funny to see they just would roam all on their own. Along with the sheep there were runners, walkers, and cyclists enjoying the time outdoors.

Here are a few pictures:

See the Sheep!! Baaaa

My first day teaching which was on Tuesday was quite an experience! I am with year 5/6 which is like fourth or fifth grade in the states. It is a mixed class of about 30. It is a big class but they were very excited to have a student teacher. They are also very polite and call me Ms. One little girl asked if I knew anyone famous because I am from America so I should know all sorts of famous people ha! It was a lot to take in with just getting to the country then being fully immersed in their schooling. My class that I am in is very student centered with the students choosing for themselves what the should be doing and how they should be learning. If they don't know how to do something it is their responsibility to find someone who can help them. They have five groups named after sports teams and leaders for each group that are responsible for their teams. The class is run on a points system and the children must go to the board and either add their points our take them away form their team owning up to whatever they have done. The day is broken up into three parts Block one, then morning tea with a play break where the students all play together, Block two,  Lunch with play break, and Block three which is set aside for content.


My second day was today Wednesday. My teacher threw me right in having me take a lot of control of the morning and then after morning tea. I was a little nervous but the students responded to me. We worked on writing articles about anything they would like. We went to the computer lab to create their newspapers that will include the articles that they have been working on. We also worked on a math pre-assessment which we will be using to guide our teaching. During block three they are doing athletics which includes sprints, javelin, shot put, and high jump. All the 5/6 students come out each day to practice each event. Today my students were doing sprints. Each split got a chance to run the year 5 girls together and 5 boys together the same with year 6. We ran the 80 meters and 200 meters. Myself and another boy took time and placed the students 1-4. This was really cool to see taking such an important part for athletics but they do not get gym class so the teachers teach all the subjects. At this time the students do this for fun but then the elite students in sport get time in the morning to go and practice with my teacher and another to work on skill.

After school we went for a walk behind our house which is on a golf course. Here are a few pictures of where we went.

That is all for now we will see what Thursday brings us here in the future!

Cheers.

Not Goodbye but See You Soon America

This past week has been such a mix of emotions. I finished my last week at school with the kinderbears and also was packing for my trip. At first I was fine a little stressed but more excited. Then as the days were rolling by I couldn't believe how much I really had to still do before we left. It was very sad to leave my class but we will be coming back to see them and I cant wait to show them all the exciting things that I am going to be doing and learning.

This morning my dad came to pick us up and I was a mess. My friends and roommates all came to say see you and also let me use some tissues (shout out to Megan). Once my dad came and we got our tears out everyone was happy and excited. We finally made it to Chicago and are just waiting at the airport. We will fly to Los Angeles and then from there to Auckland.

We have a very long day ahead of us but now there is just excitement and a little bit of nerves. We will be getting into Los Angeles at about 9:45 and then we will leave for Auckland 11:45 on Saturday night. We will be arriving in New Zealand on Monday morning at 8:45. Thats a whole day that is completely gone. Where did Sunday go? I don't know it's just gone haha. My host mom will be picking us up at the airport and I am so excited to meet her and just get there already!

Cheers

PS. Thanks roomies and friends for everything. Love you all.