March 6, 2009

So much to say...so much to say.

A week ago or so Ari and I were able to go to the KapaHaka. It was really cool, but a very odd experience for me. The Kapa Haka is a national competition of Haka groups. We went expecting to see a bunch of people doing traditional Hakas and competing to each other face to face.

Instead, what I got was a show choir competition of hakas. No joke. I felt like I was back in show choir again. They had outfits and did singing and hakas and dancing and call and responses and poi dancing. They were rated by a panel of judges on various different technicalities and techniques. It was JUST like a show competition. But it was really interesting and fun still. Some of them were really great and you could really feel the power behind their words and movements and others were not so good. Attached at the venue was a sort of fair of various things. And I noticed a few things that really made me freak out. A while back, when we went to the free concerts for Waitangi Day there were tons of airbrush tattoo places. Well, at KapaHaka, I went into the first room inside the venue and I walked right in on this guy giving REAL tattoos to a line of people! In the middle of the room! I was shocked! My first thought was "I really don't want to be seeing this! This is why I avoid tattoo shops!" and my second thought was "that can't be sanitary! Sure, he's wearing gloves, but he can't control other things in the air!" And so then we went outside to a bunch of tents and we start walking through one. The first thing I notice is this great thing they have at all venues....FREE WATER WITH FREE WATER BOTTLES! It's awesome. Every event has a stand and sometimes they give out actual like sturdy water bottles that you can keep forever and sometimes they don't, but they always have an endless supply of free water that you can just walk up to and fill your bottle from. And right next to that was a cool stand that was giving out posters of various fish in the ocean with both the Maori and English names and a chart of the legal lengths they have to be to keep them. And next to that....yes, now you're right....another tattoo stand! With some guy getting the biggest tattoo I'd ever seen right behind his ear and tons of people. I mean 30 some-odd people standing right on top of him watching. It's just not right!!!

Aside from that I got another job. working in a hotel as a cleaning person. It stinks...it's annoying but it's only a couple hours a day and it's some extra cash. However, a girl at the backpackers quit, so I'm going to get more hours there and quit the cleaning job. However, because of the cleaning job, I did get to meet the New Zealand Sevens Rugby team. That was real cool. Okay, I was scrubbing their bathroom floors, looked like crap and had bleach all over my clothes, but whatevs...I met the Sevens. hahahaha.

Rocky has come to live with us and that's been heaps of fun. We've really gotten to know each other and it's been tons of fun hanging out and shootin' the shit. 

Ari's mom and sister got here on the 28th of Feb. And we had a really lovely time. unfortunately, the weather has decided to give us a glimpse of what winter at the mount is like and it's been pissing rain for days. And the first day they get here it rains so hard you can't leave the house without getting absolutely drenched. But it's still been fun. We went to the mall and did waaaaayyyy to much shopping, but we found this company and both Osanna and I fell in love with their designs. It's called Maxwell & Williams. She bought out their entire tea cup and two platter and egg cup set of the orchard fruit designs. And she got me this absolutely stunning teapot set that I just have to get more of. It's called "tea for one cream pansy" and it's SOOO cute. And Elizabeth got one too! It's genius! It's a teapot, but the cup is the bottom part, so the tea cup is half the design and half white, but when you set it in the cup it looks like it's all one thing. you just have to see the picture to understand www.maxwellandwilliams.co.uk/index.php?keywords=cream+pansy=Go&page=search

Just look at the enlarged picture! so cute! and they have  the same teapot with other really cute designs! I absolutely love their stuff. Okay, yes, I now own bone china....and yes, I plan on keeping it safe and sound and unbroken. How? I have no idea. But it's too beautiful to mess it up. I won't even bring it out of the box to use it yet. Okay, I'll stop talking about the teapots and how cute they are! But they are!!! they make me want to stare at them all the time!

Anyway, we went on a sailing trip. The same guy that took us before. Only this time we went privately, just me, Ari, Elizabeth, and Osanna. It was very nice. Unfortunately, they got a bit seasick, but they were ok. The weather cleared up enough for us to still go out and soak in the sun and enjoy the trip. Ari and I went snorkeling while Skipper Phil took Osanna and Elizabeth onto Motiti Island to lay out on stable ground. Then we moved to calmer waters and did some fishing...didn't catch any though. But ari and I dove for kina (sea urchin) that was fun. you would think it would be easy to just dive down and grab them off the rocks...but it's not that simple. those suckers can move and can easily roll out of your hand. We cracked them open to let osanna and Elizabeth try them, but it must not be the season because there wasn't any roe in them. What do we know... But it was still super fun. They still squirm around even after you've cut them straight in half...it's a lot like a chicken with it's head cut off.

They then went to the Coromandel, Cathedral Cove, and Hot Water Beach. I stayed home and worked. They were supposed to come back the same day so we could go swimming with dolphins, but the weather turned again and the boats couldn't go out. So they stayed up in the coromandel over night while it was crap weather here...and I continued to work...

Osanna left yesterday and Ari and Liz went up to Auckland to take her back to the airport. Then they headed south. I'm super excited...they drove all the way down and took a boat across to the south island this afternoon. I'm so jealous that he got to get down there already, but I'm flying down on Tuesday, so only a couple more days and I get to go!!!!! :) Ari, Elizabeth, Chris, Nana and I are all meeting up in Queenstown on Wednesday the 11th, doing a road trip for three days and then going to the wild Food Festival. I can't wait to see it. I have no idea what it's about really, but everyone always says it's a must do. So, we do. And then we will drive all the way back up and finally go  black water rafting in the north island! I'm SOOOOOO excited. Black water rafting is water rafting through caves! and you abseil and explore glow worm caverns! how awesome is that!?!?! And then on the 18th, we pick up my mom at 7am and I've got a few things up my sleeves and then at 7pm we drop off Liz at the airport and say goodbye. I dunno what we'll do after that depends on weather patterns. But Williams and Kelly arrive not long after that. It's seriously two months of non-stop come and go from people and it's SO exciting. I won't lie...it can be a bit tiring....but so worth it. Oh, and I think Chris is going to come back to live with us too...so it'll be a full house...hahah.

Anyhoo. I hope everyone is well!

mad love!!!!

xoxo

Alissa