kae ora "hello, thankyou, nice to meet you"

As everyone can see from my title, not only have i learned alot of geology and marine ecology on this trip, I have picked up my third language, maori. This past week has been great. It started off in the town of Rotorua. Although the town is surrounded by beatiful sceneary, I would not say that this is my favorite town due to the fact that it smells like rotten eggs all the time 24/7. But i did enjoy going in the geothermal springs very much. That night in Rotorua we stayed in a Maori village. From my experiences there i realize that not all foods in New Zealand consist of deep fried fish and chips. The maori are great cooks. We had chicken, pork, beef, potatoes, awsome stuffing, that were all cooked underground. To cook the food they dug a ditch, lite a fire on the bottom, and layered the food the meats on the bottom and the vegetables on top. Then they bury the food and let it cook slowely for 6 hours. After we left rotorua we went zorbing which is basically you go in a giant hamster ball and go down a hill. Im actually pretty disapointed because i paid 27 dollars to go but we could have gone for free if went naked. my favorite day thus far was yesterday when we went to the hotwater beaches. Its pretty simple how it works. You find a spot on the beach, did 1 foot deep hole, and sit in it. But u have to be careful because the water comes out at 143 degrees(which is really hot) so to make it comfortable you mix it with seawater.
Now i will tell you what i have learned for my classes. Culturally this week i have learned that the maori are very much similiar to our native american tribes in the fact that they both believe that the land should not be thought of as and individuals right to own but that it is better is the land is communal property for the betterment of the entire tribe. As a geologist i have learned that Granite is broken down into smaller particules that make up a large part of the beach sands composition. more specifically the previously granite based sand that i have found in New Zealand has been broken down into three main types of minerals: Quatrz, Feltspare, and hronblelende. As a marine ecologist, I have learned alot about the different types of marine animals that live in the rocky intertidale zone. I am really impressed that any marine life could exist in such a harsh climate. These species must be able to live underwater and on a sun beaten beach. This also indicated that they can withstand both hot and cold temperatures.
Well this is me signing out. Just glad to be in New Zealand.