Hello Friends!

Sorry that it has taken me so long to update this since arriving in NZ. They don't have free wifi here, so I was waiting for a point in time when it would be worth it to pay for some. Anyways, I got here safely and I am having a blast. The first day that we got there, the only thing we did was go out to eat Mexican food and then sleep.  I am still a little bit jet lagged, but it is getting better.

The second day was more fun. In the morning, we listened to 2 different speakers. Then in the afternoon, we took a ferry across Devonport. Devonport is one of the islands that is a dormant volcano. But, this one is particularly cool because it was used during war time. It is full of tunnels and caves. So, did a little exploring. The caves were dark and our leader, Gavin, made us go through them without any light. Once we finished, he convinced some of us to do trust falls off a cannon. It was super scary! But, the motto for our trip is if you get sweaty palms, then it's worth doing. And although it was a risky thing to do, none of us died or got hurt. So, it was worth it. Then, we got lost going back to the ferry with Gavin, so he led us through a construction area which was off limits but way better. And since rules are more like guidelines here anyways, it was worth it. We ended the day by going out to eat pizza. I know we haven't had any other food besides stereotypical American. haha

Yesterday, we went into a Maori (the indigenous peoples) village. We did some volunteer work planting some bushes that are original to the country. Then, they welcomed us in and cooked us a huge lunch. It was amazing. Unfortunately, I was unable to bring my camera in with me for this part. But afterwards, they thought us some of the language and the history of their tribe. We ended or day by driving back to Rotorua. We are staying in a hostel here and since there are so many hot springs here, the pool is thermal heated. And, it is amazing. We spent hours in it last night just hanging out. 

Today was activity day. And again, I don't have pictures because I was doing the activities. So, I will upload them once I steal them from other people. Anyways, we started by going luging. We raced these carts down cement tracks down the side of a mountain and it was sweet. Then, I went and and did one of those fake skydiving tubes. It was hysterical. Finally, we went zorbing. Zorbing is riding in plastics balls down a hill. Just do me a favor and google it. 

Now, we are getting ready to go do some more Maori stuff. I will just have to update you later on that. Anyways, I love and miss you all. See you soon.