Piha Weekend

School is still going well.  Christine and I almost look like students everyday because we walk into the school with our backpack and matching lunch boxes.  The other day our shirts really matched and we thought it was perfect for a school photo J

I have officially started our pen pal experience.  I used google earth and showed my students where Spring Creek Elementary is and read all the pen pal letters that my last practicum students wrote.  My new class has started their new letters in response.  The kids are loving it!

Friday night Christine and I had a dinner date with Phyllis.  We went to this place called Origins and we loved it! 

After dinner we decided to head up to Mount Eden to try and catch the sun set.  Christine and I had been dying to get to the top of this volcanic crater! 

It is the largest on in the area.  When you get up top it is wonderful because you can see the entire city on each side of you. 

There was also a big compass that pointed which way LA and New York are from where we were standing.  So Christine  and I went in the middle of those two arrows and waved to everyone back home!  As the sun went down it was a little bit cooler and windier than we had expected.  But we waited until the sun started to go down and the colors began reflecting off the clouds around us.  It really was a beautiful night.

Saturday morning Chrisitne and I woke up early and helped Phyllis weed her garden.  The garden is one of the things that Phyllis takes a lot of pride in.  She loves her garden, and it really is very nice.  But often she gets really sore or exhausted from spending so much time out there.  When we have free  mornings we like to go out to the garden and help her get as much done as possible.  Soon she will even have lemons and mandarin oranges!

Then by nine in the morning we left for Piha West Coast black sand beach.  These beaches on the west coast are black sand because of the volcanic activity years ago.  The black sand is really fun to look at and be in but it gets SO hot in the middle of the day.  You have to wear shoes to walk around on it.  When we first arrive to piha we all half expected another relaxing lay out at the beach kind of day but we were very mistaken.  This beach and the area around it had so much to see and do.  We started by walking along this edge that took us to honey moon cove, a secluded part of the beach.  Along our first walk we found that we were walking on all these baby clam shells that were so cute.  I’m pretty sure most of them were dead because they were no longer constantly submerged in water, but they were really cool to observe up close. 

Also in the honeymoon cove we found little caves, tunnels, and cliffs that we could explore.  We also climbed up to the top of different rocks and mountains and looked over the amazing ocean.  The waves here were the biggest that I had ever seen.  They were crashing up on different parts of the rocks and mountains, and I think I could have stayed sitting and watching the waves all day long. 

Out in some of the huge waves a Billabong Surf Competition was taking place for age group 19 and younger.  It was amazing walking these teenagers take on these gigantic waves.

When we went out into the ocean we were given lots of warnings that the current and undertow on these beaches are stronger than most of us had ever experienced before.  They say the most of the people who die at this beach are tourists because they don’t realize just how powerful this water can really be.

Then we found something really cool.  Jelly Fish!!!!  

I had never seen one of these guys in real life!  Unfortunately or fortunately they were dead, so I even got to hold them.  It was so crazy.  They were completely clear and so squishy and ah weird.  James even through one of the jelly guys on my back before I was brave enough to hold one.  But eventually I realized it couldn’t hurt me and I was brave enough.   We found three of them just along the beach.

Next we went on a hike to a nearby waterfall in Karekare.  

It is crazy that we can be at this amazing beach and then after a ten minute walk we can be under an amazing weather fall in the middle of a jungly/forest. 

Then we ended the night with a wonderful surprise birthday party for our triplets turning 21.   

 Nicole’s host mum threw a big party for the girls that all turned 21 in February, Nancy, Anna, and Nicole.  In is tradition that in New Zealand you are presented with a key to come and go freely from the house at that time.  So she made each of the girls their own "key", which was just made of paper.  Then we opened presents and feasted.  After dinner she brought out the hugest cake I have ever seen in my whole life!!

We also all got goody bags at the end of the party!