It’s been a while since I last blogged, and so much has happened. The last week has been super busy with travel, teaching, field trips, and preparation for activities.
First off last weekend we traveled to Mount Maunganui to watch our host sister Teresa compete in a triathlon. It was an absolutely beautiful place to visit. Kristen and I ended up getting a hotel right on the ocean, and there was a wonderful view of the mount and the water. Throughout the weekend we did some exploring along the beach, around the mount, and walked on some cliffs. A new experience I got to partake in was swimming in a hot salt pool. It was really a neat set up. There was three different pools and each one got warmer and warmer. There was no roof on the hot pools so you could see the mountain because we were situated right at the bottom of it. We also were able to do a little shopping which is always fun, because there is so many cute little stores. On Sunday was the big race day for Teresa. It was very fun to watch her compete and she ended up winning the race, which was also very exciting.
First off last weekend we traveled to Mount Maunganui to watch our host sister Teresa compete in a triathlon. It was an absolutely beautiful place to visit. Kristen and I ended up getting a hotel right on the ocean, and there was a wonderful view of the mount and the water. Throughout the weekend we did some exploring along the beach, around the mount, and walked on some cliffs. A new experience I got to partake in was swimming in a hot salt pool. It was really a neat set up. There was three different pools and each one got warmer and warmer. There was no roof on the hot pools so you could see the mountain because we were situated right at the bottom of it. We also were able to do a little shopping which is always fun, because there is so many cute little stores. On Sunday was the big race day for Teresa. It was very fun to watch her compete and she ended up winning the race, which was also very exciting.
To wrap up a great “holiday” weekend we stopped in Matamata on the way home to take a tour of Hobbiton. All of my students back home were excited for me to go there, so we knew we had to do it. I mean after all, it is an international movie set. When we first arrived they came to pick us up on a big green Hobbiton bus. The bus then took us on to the farm property where the movie set was. It was ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE scenery, and my pictures don’t even do it justice. There was so much work that went in to filming the movie and you could tell by all the detail on the hobbit holes. After our tour wrapped up we got to try some beer at the Green Dragon that is only sold at Hobbiton. You can’t find it anywhere else in the world. I am so glad we decided to go on the tour; it was definitely worth the time and money.
This past week at school has gone so fast. Since it was the start of December I had my students working on Christmas activities to help decorate the classroom. They are getting very excited because our Christmas concert is coming up on Thursday, and they have been practicing very hard. Throughout the week I planned many different activities and worksheets for the students to do to keep them busy. Since it is the end of the school year and it is getting really warm my kids are starting to get a little antsy. We have started to do more activities outside to get them running around and use up some of their extra energy. On Friday we went to Bethells beach. It was a field trip that my cooperating teacher spent a lot of time prepping and planning for, and it ended up being a great day for the kiddos. All year one students went on the trip and everyone had a blast. We had parents holding a rope in the water and cones set up so students knew where they could and could not go. It was very helpful to have so much parent support. An interesting fact is that Bethells beach is where Taylor Swift filmed her music video four days before we went.
Last but not least, today, Saturday. Today was one of the biggest parts of our trip that we knew we wanted to participate in before we even got here. We wanted to go to Kelly Tarlton’s and experience the penguin adventure. When we got there we looked through the aquariums, there were sharks, seahorses, clown fish and many more. Then we had to meet up for our adventure. At first the lady explained to us a little about the penguins and then we had to get on our suits. We had to wear sweat pants, a “jumper” and big “gum boots”. We went into the exhibit with the penguins and sat down on a rock. We were not allowed to touch the penguins because they might bite. It was so AWESOME!!! They came right up to us and pecked at our hands and feet. Definitely an experience I will never forget!