Weekend Update

I am behind on this post, and I really want to get it up before I head out to Paraparaumu this evening. I have a post-it list of everything I wanted to talk about because I knew I would forget.

First, my geology field trip was a lot of fun. I was expecting to be annoyed with having to do geology things all day on a Saturday, but I was pleasantly surprised. We left early at 8:30 AM, all loaded into a coach bus to drive us over the Rimutaka Mountains. We were heading out in the Wairarapa region (I am at uni and can't look this names up, so I hope I am spelling them correctly), and the area we were going to be surveying was 2.5 hours away. We took a pass over the mountains that was very curvy, very gorgeous, and a little dodgy in winter time. I would not be keen to drive along the ridges in winter with the snow and ice. Anyway, we made it over the mountains and first stopped at the mouth of the Hurupi River (and when I call these things rivers, I really mean streams; they have the potential to be rivers after some rain, but there was not much water when we were there). We dropped half the class off at that river and then continued on to the Putangirua River. We began by talking a bit about the lithologies of the rocks we were going to encounter, then we hiked back up along the river bed, carefully observing the rocks along the way.

We stopped for lunch at 1PM at the farthest contact point we were going to observe. During lunch we had the opportunity to hike up into the Pinnacles, and it was so cool. Imagine rocks that have weathered away to look like castle points. It was so peaceful and serene. You couldn't hear anything except the birds and me munching away on my apple. This was also a cool experience because it was a Lord of the Rings set. This was where the Paths of the Dead scene was shot, when Aragorn is talking with the dead army, in The Return of the King. Very exciting for me, I can assure you.

We spent the next 2-3 hours traversing down the river bed. This involved teams of 3-4 where one person holds the compass, one person goes to the next point, and one person is the designated 'pacer.' You take a bearing from you to the next person and then the pacer walks in a straight line from you to the other, counting his/her double paces. We did a lab exercise the week before so I know exactly how many meters a double pace is for myself. We did this all along the river, taking notes on dips and strikes of the rock and contact points and classifications. It could have been very boring, but I enjoyed my group very much. We were joking around, having a lot of fun with it (the pacer kept having to walk through the river, so his feet got all wet, and we laughed), and it was such a beautiful day. It was actually hot. Also, this region typically has a strong wind through the gully we were in, but it was remarkably quiet. My river finished before the other, so we sat on the beach for about an hour, skipping rocks and playing on the sand. As we were driving home over the mountains, the sun was setting, and it was absolutely gorgeous. Fantastic day, really.

I hung out with my flatmates and some of their friends that night while I was home, and that was nice. It was good to be around them in social situations, to really get to know them and their friends, to not just be coexisting in the same flat. I am going to miss them when they move out for the summer. I hope I get flatmates that are as easy to live with as they are!

I got up the next morning to go to church. Amyw as singing again, and she brought Lauren with her. Lauren is an exchange student from Wisconsin studying design at Vic who is going skydiving with us at the end of September. I had not met her before, so it was good to get to know her before traveling to Rotorua and Taupo together. I stayed for the church meeting and lunch afterwards, which was interesting. I have never been to an official church meeting before, so it was good to see the administration and finances of the church. I also got to catch up with Annette, the lady who took me tramping not too long ago. After the meeting, Amy, Lauren, Alan (a guy who also goes to the church), and I walked up to the top of Mt. Victoria. It was a gorgeous day, perfect for the hike. We tried to take a part of the southern walkway but got a little off course and ended up walking along the road. No matter, it was still a good walk. We enjoyed the view for awhile and then took the southern walkway back down. The four of us were starving afterwards, so we hit up Satay Kingdom for some good cheap food. Amy and Alan had never been there before, and Lauren not often (it is on the other side of the city from where they live), so it was good to bring them to a place I go so much! I deviated from my traditional meal of Roti Chenai, and while my Mee Goreng was good, I am going to go back to the bread and curry meal.

That night the youth group at the church was having a fundraiser to benefit the plight of the Sudanese. They were showin Hotel Rwanda at the church, and since Amy, Alan, and I had not seen it, we made plans to go. I would highly recommend this movie, but you have to be warned. It is a serious drama and a very emotional film. There are several heartbreaking scenes. The cinematography does not gloss over the horrors that occured there in the mid-1990s. I have seen my fair share of heart-breaking movies, but I have never encountered a scene that was so physically heart-wrenching as the final scene of the movie. Those of you who have seen it will know what I am talking about. I could feel the tugging on my heart, like I couldn't breathe. It was that emotional. I would definately say that you should see it, but be prepared for what you are about to see.

That's about it for here. I uploaded a few pictures earlier today, so I am going to try to post those very quickly, but I have class soon and may not be able to. I have a speech up in Paraparaumu this evening, so I am taking the train up there and staying the night with the Rotary president. I believe I am going to be able to do a bit of sightseeing tomorrow, which is exciting. 'Til then!