I'm in New Zealand, where it's a little chilly and really fun. The plane ride to 
New Zealand was 11 (!!!) hours from Thailand and a six hour time difference--oh boy! I had jet lag and couldn't get used to the new time zone, so it was really hard to fall asleep, but now I'm better. This is the farthest away from home we're going to be. There's and 18-hour time difference between here and New York!
When we got to New Zealand, we were so happy to have western food (YEAH!!!!). I missed it so much. I was also really happy to have salad since we couldn't eat the raw vegetables in all those places in many places in Asia (except Japan).
New Zealand is made out of volcanoes. It is two islands: the North Island and the South Island. Two different islands, but one country ... cool.
My family and I went to a redwood forest on the North Island. On the trail, my Dad, Tyler, and I played rugby with our new rugby ball. The redwood trees are big, really big! My Dad couldn't even put his arms around the trunk of them. Redwood trees are also found in California.
New Zealand was 11 (!!!) hours from Thailand and a six hour time difference--oh boy! I had jet lag and couldn't get used to the new time zone, so it was really hard to fall asleep, but now I'm better. This is the farthest away from home we're going to be. There's and 18-hour time difference between here and New York!When we got to New Zealand, we were so happy to have western food (YEAH!!!!). I missed it so much. I was also really happy to have salad since we couldn't eat the raw vegetables in all those places in many places in Asia (except Japan).
New Zealand is made out of volcanoes. It is two islands: the North Island and the South Island. Two different islands, but one country ... cool.
My family and I went to a redwood forest on the North Island. On the trail, my Dad, Tyler, and I played rugby with our new rugby ball. The redwood trees are big, really big! My Dad couldn't even put his arms around the trunk of them. Redwood trees are also found in California.
In New Zealand, there is a local culture here called the Maori. They
were the first people to come to New Zealand. They came here by canoe
from Hawaiki, which is a Polynesian island far away. They used wood
weapons instead of medal ones to fight other tribes. They also stick
out their tongues and open their eyes really wide to scare their
enemies. When they sing and dance, they shake their hands to keep
energy in their bodies. Watch Tyler's video.
We
met a Maori tribe who lived in a thermal village. Hot springs made up
the village. Hot springs are water heated by the earth's core. There
were two really huge geysers there too, which are hot springs that
shoot water into the air. We also saw cool mud pools. In the pools, the
mud looked like it was boiling. It even bubbled up.
Now we are in Christchurch and there is a big event going on here. It's called the Royal New Zealand Show and it happens once a year. It's a big agriculture and livestock show and it's a really big deal here. We saw lots of cool things like a lumberjack competition, show-horse jumping, livestock judging, and a livestock parade of all the winning animals.
There
was also a carnival there, where I got to go kid bungee jumping. They
attached me to two bungee cords and raised me up. I then bounced on a
trampoline. Here's a video of me doing it:
It was so much fun and so were all the other events there. It was a great day!
And that was my super duper cool first week in New Zealand.
We
met a Maori tribe who lived in a thermal village. Hot springs made up
the village. Hot springs are water heated by the earth's core. There
were two really huge geysers there too, which are hot springs that
shoot water into the air. We also saw cool mud pools. In the pools, the
mud looked like it was boiling. It even bubbled up.Now we are in Christchurch and there is a big event going on here. It's called the Royal New Zealand Show and it happens once a year. It's a big agriculture and livestock show and it's a really big deal here. We saw lots of cool things like a lumberjack competition, show-horse jumping, livestock judging, and a livestock parade of all the winning animals.
There
was also a carnival there, where I got to go kid bungee jumping. They
attached me to two bungee cords and raised me up. I then bounced on a
trampoline. Here's a video of me doing it:It was so much fun and so were all the other events there. It was a great day!
And that was my super duper cool first week in New Zealand.
Hi Tyler and Stephan, Deb~la here. Ok I watched the video. That yelling and slapping was unsettling! Was it as loud and annoying in person??? LOL!
So glad you are getting to have 'western food!".
It has gotten cold here but headed to Chicago for turkey day, and it is even colder there.
Can't wait for your next posting. Be safe, warmly Deb~la. PS - hi to your folks.
Hi I am 14 yr old Kiwi who is currently living in Phnom Penh Cambodia with my parents (who are kiwis too). I have just begun reading your blog (which is pretty interesting). I am travelling too but much more slowly than you as we travel to different places as my dad gets different jobs. We have lived in Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Singapore and now here. We also travel to places for holidays-a couple of christmases ago -for example- we went to Egypt and Jordan. I am enjoying your observations (which are often very different from mine) but was wandering why you dont eat salad veggies in Asian countries (I presume you mean Thailand and Bhutan). We eat it all the time. If you are worried about getting sick (I assume you have all the vaccinations) you should try eating a little at a time in each country as this exposes your immune system to the different bacteria etc and builds immunity. We eat street food and market all the time and none of us has ever been sick in all the years (except when I got Dengue in Samoa)we have been travelling. You are missing out on some awesome taste experiences otherwise. Good travelling
Mac
i dont even know if i like llamas
OMG new zealand!!! I have never been there. i wish i could! The farthest i have gone from minnesota, madison lake, is arizona. I don't go that far for trips. you are so lucky! i really really wish i could go there so bad!