Halfway...

Well, I can’t believe that we are already half way through our trip. Everything has gone by so quickly, (probably because we have been staying extremely busy). Since the last blog, we have experienced so many new things. First, Kristin, Jamie, Katy and I attempted the geo-caching. Although we searched and searched for hours for the first box, we were unable to find it. Finally, we gave up and tried for another which was a bit easier. We were so excited to finally find it, that we have some pretty funny pictures of us jumping around. Friday, we left for the Marae. This was by far my favorite cultural event. I think that we were able to impress them with our song, and I was certainly impressed by their songs and dances. The food was also amazing. I am still in shock that they were able to cook all of it under the ground. Their traditions and customs seem fascinating and I look forward to learning more about them in the future.
On Sunday, I was upset that our trip to White Island was cancelled, but I was really excited that we got to see Mount Maunganui. This town was so beautiful and full of art deco apartments. It reminded me very much of my dad because he is an architect and really into places like this. We actually decided that we would spend our four day weekend in the town over because we loved “the Mount” so much. The beach was also so beautiful here. I think this was my favorite biology site because it was covered in beautiful shells and sea life. The abundance of shells down by the rocky inter-harbor was astounding. My favorite shell was definitely the one that looked like you could turn it into a ring.
After leaving Mount Maunganui, we made the trip back to Hamilton and hung out here Sunday night and all of Monday. On Tuesday we were able to go to Hahei, the Hot Water Beach. This was really cool because even though the water from the ocean was freezing, the water from the ground (when you dug your toes in), was scalding hot. From there we went to the Cathedral Cove. This place was BEAUTIFUL. This was by far my favorite geological place. Although I am not quite sure how all of the rocks were shaped as they were, I am eager to learn. I really enjoyed jumping off of the big rock out into the ocean, and of course, I also enjoyed laying out and getting some sun.
After Cathedral Cove, we climbed the Paku Mountain and got to see some awesome views of Tairua and Powanui. We then went home and have been in Hamilton since. I am really looking forward to our four day weekend in Tauranga!