Merry christmas everyone!

Hey Guys!
This will be my last post from New Zealand! :( My time here has gone to an end and I'm leaving tomorrow to fly back to Germany. It has been such an amazing experience and it will allways be a time I will never forget! Thank you to my parents as well as my hostparents who made this possible for me to come and who made my time what it was! <3  I learned soo much and I met soo many nice people I will never forget! I love you! <3
On monday christmaseve, Kirsty and I went to Baldwinstreet (steepest sreet in the world) for a last time. We really stuggled to get up because the weather was so hot and this street (even if it doesn't look like it on the pictures) is bloddy steep!  

Kirsty walking down Baldwinstreet :P 

a car trying to come down ;) 

Hohoho! On tuesday we had our big christmas dinner (which was more lunch than dinner) and got our presents. The whole family was here and we had sooo much to eat..that i still can't believe it: We started with a big piece of ham and went on with chicken and pork! So far for the main...for pudding we had christmaspud, banofee pie, Pavlova and strawberrys. :) Can you imagine how full I was after I ate all this? In  the afternoon we just sat out side and enjoyed the sun! Fortunately we had 26°C and there was no cloud in the sky! :) I got soo many nice presents from family and friends and aslo the presents I gave were really liked . :) All in all I can say it was a really diffrent but amazing kiwi christmas experience! <3 And I really enjoyed having christmas in summer. :)

christmas dinner 

christmas cracker 

Sue & I 

Banofee pie 

Peter & I 

On Boxingday I started to pack and in the afternoon Sue and I went over to Kirsty and Heidi to play wii together! That was really fun and I was really pleased that I could spent my second last day with parts of my family!
Today is my last day here and I just finished packing my suitcases...I can honestly say I'm gonna miss New Zealand sooo and its people soo much but I'm also really looking forward to see may family and friends back in Germany.
<3 <3 <3 Good bye NZ, my second home! :)

Last whole week in NZ :(

Hey everyone!
Oh my gosh...can you believe it? This week was my last full week at the most beautiful end of the world...My time has gone soo fast...I just can't discribe how I feel right now. On the one hand I'm really looking forward to see my family and friends back in Germany but on the other hand I just don't wanna leave  all my friends and hostfamily behinde. It just feels wiered that it's comming to an end now. :/
Now back to what I actually wanted to tell you...about what I did this week!
On monday I went to Dunedin's main museum because they have a butterfly exhibition in there right now. It was actually really cool cause the butterflys really came to you and sat on your hands shoulder or where ever they wanted to. :) Some of them were absolutely beautiful and it was just so amazing to see all the different typs of butterflys and stuff. :)  

beautiful blue one! 

sitting on my hand ;) 

I spent the whole tuesday in town buying christmas presents and souveniers for family and friends in Germany to take home...:) I the morning Sophie and Jess had left cause they were flying home. So now I'm the only one from Cologne left here in Dunendin spending my xmas with my hostfamily, which I'm really lokking forward to!
On Thursday Kirsty and Heidi took me to Invercargil, cause Heidi had a meeting with her work there. So Kirst and I went christmas shopping again to get the last presents she needed to buy. Later we drove up to a good friend of Kirsty where we just relaxed outside in the sun and had a nice afternoon until Heidi came back and we went back to Dunedin.:)
This friday I met up with Sophie D. & Louise (from my north island tour) in town. We first went to the Otago settlers museum because it just reopened a few days ago after a big renovating. It's about the history of the first settlers who arrived here  and how Dunedin and its people developed since then. So we spent the whole morning in there, had lunch after that and went to the Dunedin chineese gardens in the afternoon. This is quite a big area in town where chineese settlers who came here during the gold rush built a tipical chineese garden to have something that reminded them of there country. These gardens are absolutely bautiful and a really quiet place in the middle of the loud and buissy town. :)

Sophie and I (+ the wee girl in the background)  in the Otago settlers museum

Louise + me + Sophie 

beautiful chineese gardens <3 

On saturday I met Sophie D. again to go to Moana pool together which is  the main swimming pool here in Dunedin. So we had a pretty relaxed day and enjoyed swimming some lines and then just chilling out in the warm water pool. :P In the evening Sue, Kirsty and Heidi took me to see the christmas lights. They are hoses which are decorated aith hundreds and thousends of lights. :)

two of the houses :) 

Yesterday, as a part of my christmas present I'm getting from my host mum, Sue took me to her nail designer an I got my nails done. That included a manicure and a nail paint with some kiwi designes on it. So I have now a kiwi and a silverfern on my nails. :) Sue also got her nails done with many different xmas designes on them. :) Unfortunately I had to sart packing in the afternoon which mad me feel really, really sad. :( So now I have got my first suitcase packend and only have the other one left.

Sue's nails

my silverfern! 

See you very very soon! :)

Land of the Hobbits!

Hey everyone!
Hollidays are really a very nice thing!!! Especilly if it's warm outside and you can just enjoy the summer ( I haven't had in germany)!...
On monday Sophie and I met Louise (one girl from our tour) in town to catch up with her cause she usualy lifs down in Invercargill. We met up for a cofee at abpout 10am in town and spent the whole morning together. Later Louise had to go to an appointment so Sophie and I caught the bus to Sophie and I helped her to start packing...cause she is leaving on tuesday.  :(  Her hostmum invited me to stay for dinner and then at about 9pm Sue picked me up and took me home.
This tuesday I got up quite early in the morning, caught the bus to town and met up with Maxine and Sophie infront of the cinema to watch the latest James Bond- Skyfall. That was really fun and we all really enjoyed it! When we came out of the cinema Maxine's father was wating there to pick her up.It was really emotional because they haven't seen each other for 6 month. :) I have to say I was nearly crying because it was just sooo cute! So they went for a coffe and I met up with Kirsty (hostsister) in town to go shopping. :)
On wednesday Sophie came down here to St. Kilda and we both went to the beach together, because it was probably the last time she could go to the beach here. :) ...

at St Clair beach 

me...jumping around :P 

Sophie! <3 

 We came back to my house for lunch and later went to town, where we met with the other Sophie from our north island tour and a friend of hers to go to the cinema again and watch the Hobbit!!! That is an absolutly amazing movie!...and for us it was just really nice to see because it was turned in New Zealand and we have been to some of the locations where it was filmed. Soo we all enjoyed it soo far but I think it was a wee bit to dark and to much fighting. :)

Gandalf + I 

popcorn and 3D galsses! FUN

On thursday I mostly just hung out at home, tidied up my room and sorted out what I can leave here if my suitcase will be to heavy. In the evening I went to Karla's house, where we had a BBQ for her, cause she left on saturday. I really enjoyed it and fortunately we had really good weather so that we were able to sit outside.
This weekend I was home the whole time, helping my hostfather in the garden, going to do the last christmas shopping with my hotsmum and just enjoying the beautiful sun and warm weather.
On sunday Kirsty and Heidi took me to Brighton beach to put our feet in COLD water (even if its really hot outside, the water temperature is always really cold because the water is comming from the south pole). It was really refreching and we all really enjoyed the hot summer day! We had up to 26°C!!!

brighton beach!

Finally the Summer has arrived!!! :)

160km, a bike and sunshine...what else can you ask for?

We survived!!! From Sunday to tuesday Sophie, Maxine, Jess, Karla and I went with all the year 11 students on the railtrail. It's an old railway line over 160 km between Clyde and Middlemarch.
We started on sunday at about 2pm after we rented our bikes and filled up our water bottles! On the first day we cicled about 40 km and arrived in Lauder on our camping side in the early evening. Even though we were already really exhausted we started building up our tents immediately. For dinner we cooked our own pasta and after that played some games with the group. :)
The next morning we were woken up at about 7 am to get ready, have breakfast and break down our tents. We had to leave the camping side at 8am cause we had along way ahead of us. The plan for the day was that we would cicle 70 km where we all were kind of afraid of, cause in some parts we had to cicle up some hills, it was in the hot summer sun of central Otago and we just had a really long way to go. But in the end of the day we were very proud that we did it! By the time we got to our camping side for the second night in Naseby we were totally exhausted and just managed to build up our tents, have a shower and eat something...after that we went straight to bed (...or better to sleeping bag) and slept....
Even though we still had 50 km ahead of us, the last day wasn't too bad because most of the time we went down hill and we also got used to our bikes over the last two days. When we arrived in Middlemarch at about 2pm we were sooo icredible proud of us and happy that we biked 160km in 3 days!!!! I can't discribe the feeling but it was toataly worse it!

our camping side...

having a quick drinking stop!

I and my bike! 

sophie & I

After a really long sleep in (to catch up with the one I missed on the railtrail) we met in school to make Pavelova. Pavelova is a kind of Eischneekuchen and as a really tipical cake for New Zealand and Austrailia. It is usualy served with cream and kiwifruit, but we did ours with strawberrys which also was really yumm!!!
Unfortunately we didn't have enough time to eat it in school, so I took Ella's and mine (we made them in pairs)  home with me to be able to eat it the next day. So Ella came around the next day and we ate it for lunch. :)

our baking group:) 

big baker :) 

our finished Pavelova 

Ella & I 

In the afternoon we had the big end of the year price-giving. That basicly means that the whole school comes together for a last time before the summer hollidays and all those students who achieved something really special or outstanding get prices and cups for their achievements. Also the year 13 students get their final certificate and the new headgirl (is a really big deal here)l for 2013 is presneted.
Now I officially have hollidays!!! :D yeah!
My weekend was exept from the fact that we decorated the christmastree really calm. But decorating the tree was fund but also very wired...Out side the sun was shining and it was about 23°C, I was in top and shorts and we were eating strawberrys...That just doesn't feel like xmas, does it? Later Sue but on a CD with christmas carols and it just felt wrong...but I'm really happy to be able to experience a really Kiwi (summer) chirstmas!!!!

our christmastree! 

Many warm summer greetings to you in winter! :P

Kia Ora!!! On my way to be a real Maori :)

Hey guys!
Finally my last week post! ...I'm sorry I haven't posted earlyer.. :/ but in the last two weeks I was just soo busy with all the stuff we did at school and I just don't know where the time has gone...
We had Maori week at school this week which means that we learned some maori words and how to present yourself. For example:
Kia Ora katao. Ko St Hilda's tuko koura. Ko Celine ahou. No reira. Tena kotu, tena kotu, tena kotu katao.
This is how you tell everyone who you are. :)
On tuesday afternoon we also had a photography lesson where we took photos in pairs. Every german with one of the Japaneese girls. That was really fun cause I was with Chiharu and we took lots of very cool photos. :)

taking pictures :) 

Chiharu and I :* 

The group! (Kie, Maxine, I, Sophie, Ella, Chiharu, Honoka and An) 

In the follwoing days we went to the central Otago museum where we learned alot about how Moaris lived in preeuropean times and we also went to a Marae about halfe an hour out of Dunedin to see how maoris live today and to do some workshops on Maori culture. For example how to do baskets out of fern or what kind of instruments they used/ use.
Friday was a really sad day. It was Chiharu's and An's last day in Dunedin so Ella, An Chiharu and I went to town for lunch and enjoyed tha last day together. Later I went to Chiharu's house to write on her New Zealand flag. :) She wanted me to try her uniform from Japan on and I have to say I looked really funny. :D haha. Sometimes I'm really happy, that we don't have any school uniform in Germany but I think I'm also going to miss the uniform. Because it's just so easy every morning, you don't have to worry about what to wear and you can sleep longer cause everything goes much faster. :)

Chiharu's uniform!

By the time I came back home from Chiharu, Sue was already home and she told me that she had a surprise for me...:) She gave me my x-mas calendar!!! It is soo cool! because it's not one like we have in Germany..no! It has got santa at the beach with a surfboard and a BBQ on it! Isn't that amazing?

christmas calendar! 

On Saturday I just packed my things for the Railtrail which is an old 160km long  railway line we are going to cicle by bike...will see how it goes. :)
Love and miss you all!!! See you soon :)

Queenstown and more...:)

Omg...I've now only 4 and 1/2 weeks left...can you belive that? Well, I can't :) The time here down under went so fast cause I'm enjoying myself soo much! :D
We still have study leave and are doing trips with the international students :)
In the beginning of this week we went to an old hous which was build in about 1900 called 'Olverston'. A very rich man built  the hous for his family and to represent him and his status in the community. The special thing about the hous is, that everything, of the time the house was built, is still there and it's comletely furnished like it was in those days.
On tuesday we had a pretty cool programm. :) In the morning we went up the 'natures wonders' farm, which is a sheep farm but they also do tours in little 'trucks' (or whatever you should call them) around the farm cause on the farm there are also some seals, sealion, pinguins and many birds who only existe in a very few parts of New Zealand. So we first had a tour with these 'trucks' and saw many seals and also some pinguins. :) After this tour we went inside the farm and were shown how sheep are shorn. First it looked really violent and as though they would hurt the sheep...but we soon learned that the sheep don't feel anything and that it's really good for them. :) It was a real 'kiwi' experience cause here are sheep everywhere!!!!!! :P

the trucks :) 

our fancy green jackets to protect us against the dirt :) 

a two day old seal...cute!!!!!

sheep shearing 

feeding a lamp whch lost its mother ;) 

On thursday we went up to 'Larnach castel' it's New Zealand's only castel and was built by an austrailian banker who moved over to Dunedin in the 19th century. The castel wasn't as big as many castels in europe but it was very pretty and I personally really liked the garden! (that might be because at the moment everything is blooming here in New Zealand).

Larnch castel 

the beautiful garden :) 

On firday we had a hip hop lesson at school in the morning. :)
In the afternoon Sophie's hostparents took Sophie and me to Queenstown for the weekend. :)
The whole weekend was very nice! When we arrived after a 4 hours drive we checked in into our very nice apartement with view over the lake and to the mountains. :)

our apartment 

The next morning when we got up we enjoyed a nice breakfast on our balcony, dressed up and went to town. There we first went on the skyline gondola to a very nice viewing platform from where you could see the whole town of queenstown, the lake, the beautiful 'unforgetable mountains' and many other really amazing things. Later we did threre rides down on the luge :) nearly the same as we did in Rotorua on my northisland tour but it still was sooo much fun. :)

infront of the skyline :) 

the view frome the top! 

Sophie and me on the Luge :) 

 At lunch time we went back to town, to a restaurant where you can get the biggest burgers of whole New Zealand....They were huge!!!!!! They were nearly as big as a cake...but really yumm! :)

yumm!!! 

 Later we spent some time at the lake chilling out and in the afternoon Dave (sophie's hostfather) drove us up to the very first bungy jump of the world and we saw a short movie about the man who invented bungy jumping. :)

the lake :) 

oldest bungy jump! 

 By the time we got back to the apartment it was still very warm, so sophie and I decided to go to the lake again and have a swim. Unfortunately the water was to cold so we just went in with our feet and legs. :)

beautiful evening at the lake :) 

On sunday we drove to Arrowtown a small vilage next to Queenstown where we saw an old chinese settlers township who came to New Zealand during the gold rush to find some gold. Also the rest of the Arrowtown was very nice and we spent there the whole morning. :)

one of the chinese settlers houses 

After that we went up to the winter ski fiels of Queenstown from where we had a great view over many parts of central Otago. Of cause there was no snow anymore but you could still see where the sking in winter was done. :)

view from the ski field :) 

Monday morning we packed our stuff and started our way back home. We stopped a few times to visit some small towns on our way back. For example Cromwell, Clyde, Alexandra and Lawrence.
When we arrived back in Dunedin I was really tied but also very thankfull and happy about the whole weekend the nature is absolutly  amazing and unbelievable!!!!