Yo

Hey there everybody! Lets see, I'm back in school again plugging away at projects and reports. I did get the chance to go Mt. biking last weekend in Roturua. The trails here are short, sweet and well banked. The volcanic soil of the North Island drains incredible well, so when you come into a wet turn, every time I was expecting to wash out like you would in Oregon. Suprisingly, the traction on the trails is very good. One of the best parts of the riding here is that you often end up going through several different types of forest, due to their being plantations everywhere. I rode everything from Redwood duff, Eucalyptus bark, pine and oak forest. The trails, while fun and swoopy, don't seem to have those intangibles that make a ride an epic one. You are never that far from civilization like you are in Oakridge Oregon, or Monarch Pass Colorado. Also, it was perfect single speed territory, with lots of short grunts and swooping downhills. I got a fair amount of teasing from other riders for having no gears, but if you ask me, they are pretty unnecessary. I told 'em they fell off back there somewhere. It was good to be giving and taking a little verbal abuse (always in jest) with other riders.
School is going well. The grading system here, as I have told some of you is a bit unusual, by US standards at least. A 50% or greater is a passing grade. Getting in the mid 60's percentile is pretty good and anything over 70% is exemplary. They just grade everything freakin' hard, much to my dismay at first before I understood what the grades actually translate into here. Classes are going well and are interesting to boot. Always a nice plus.

More kiwi terms:

Squash = Raquetball
If you think something is really good or cool = "woah, that was mint"
Zorbing= rolling down a hill inside a rubber ball
"Sweet as" = the best thing ever.
dodgy = disreputable, suspect
Uni = Campus

I went surfing last week for the first time in years over on the west coast. It was awesome to get back out in the water, even though all I did was wipe out and get thrown around. I found a wetsuit on the side of the road with a free sign next to it, so hopefully I'll get the chance to go again. Next up in the way of trips hopefully is hotwater beach and the Coremandel Penninsula. I've been meaning to get over there for a while. I'll be hanging out this weekend to just brush up on some papers I need to read, but hopefully the weather will be nice for a little climbing. Well, that's enough rambling for today, so cheers everyone.

~Jake

Easter Break: Aratiatia rapids

The Waikaito river is the longest in NZ, and generates a significant portion of their hydroelectic energy. It drains lake taupo and it carves some pretty amazing canyons along the way. On this tributary we went to, they release water about 4 times a day, creating a massive torrent called the Aratiatia rapids. Pretty awesome to behold. The water probably goes from about 10 feet deep to well over 30. I'm not to sure why they release it in itervals, as that wouldn't be to optimum for generating hydroelectric power, but hey I wasn't complaining.

Yep, same (well close anyways) view as the last pic. It was a ton of H2O

Again with the crazy blue water. There were some big trout in their too. Again, these are introduced. Somebody should get them out of there....hmmmm

I had to have at least one goat picture. These were often chilling on the side o' the road, contemplating the mysteries of the universe I guess.

Easter Break: Mt. Whanganui

We spent a day in and around Mt. Wanganui, on the north coast on the western edge of the bay of plently. Amazing vistas and what looked to be some decent shore break, for you skim-boarders out there. Also, there are bolts on the cliffs in some of these pics, but the rock had the structural integrity of tissue paper.

Loved this tree.

Crimp it or limp it.

One of my best pictures if I do say so myself. Barrier islands in the background from Mt. Wanganui

Easter Break...um LXVIII

Most of these pictures are from the drive to the west coast, with a few from Napier, on the east coast.

"Hobbit's Hole" (look closer). New Zealand for main highway tunnel. Not for the claustriphobic.

Fountain in trendy Napier

Napier

You guessed it. Napier

Looks almost fake doesn't it. Pretty pastures.

A typical green vista. Man, I don't know why the color isn't on the flag or something.

I sadly didn't get any good pics of the native forest we drove through, we were worried about petrol (gas) as we only had a 1/4 tank left. I'd like to go back though, it was a place of presence.

Easter Break III

The Rotorua/Taupo area in the center of the north island is renowned for its geothermal activity. The N. Island is on an oceanic/oceanic plate subduction zone, and this creates a great deal of volcanic activity. There are numerous areas to vist, such as craters of the moon (not to be confused with the one in idaho) and other interesting areas. Compounds such as sulfur, manganese, iron and other substances create the intense colors seen in some of the hot pools. Damn the rotten egg smell is hard to ignore sometimes, but the sites are pretty impressive anyhow. Lots of things to do here, if you have the cash that is....

The famed pink and white terraces were destroyed in the late 1800's by an eruption but here is something similar. The disolved ions and minerals form little ledges as they slowly flow downhill/

Phew!

I just missed the Joker's hand going back into the water

You were in a permanent fog at times

NZ has all kinds of green.

Sulfur Deposits in a cave

Vanna White impression

Devil's pot (I think that's its name)

Bizarre Orange colors in the Champagne pool

Dorky expression and pose for you guys

Craters of the Moon, with little shrubs everywhere

Not sure about old faithful, but they have to add, and I shit you not, biodegradable soap to their geysers to get them going. Apparently some prison crew a century ago thought it would be a great idea to do their dishes in a hot pool. When the soap mixed with the hot water in the resevoir below it, their dishes went up and out, as did the cons.... fooom!

Easter Break II

Some Falls in the National Park

At Huka Falls, they filmed "without a paddle" here, though I've never seen it

Huka Falls, The rivers here are the cleanest blue you will ever see

Easter Break

The first couple of days we spent checking out the Volcanoes south of Lake Taupo. It is a beautiful, scenic area with amazing geology, and it is not your typical NZ green pastures and forest. The Mts. get over 2000 meters, with Ruapehu being the highest. There is even a ski resort here. Long hikes or tramps here involve paying to use huts, and the major one in the area, hell on the North island is called the Tongariro crossing, which traverses the pass between Ngaharohe (g is silent) and Ruapehu.

Mt. Tongariro

Tongariro National Park

Hike we did on the side of a Mt. Tongariro. Beautiful.

From the side of the Mountain looking downhill. A very popular through hike, as we saw lots of people..."How you goin'?"

Heather, and other native shrubs and grasses