Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Monday, March 10, 2014
Moorea
Two days ago we finished packing our bags in Nelson, and drove to the airport. A propellor plane took us to Auckland. Since we were not flying internationally we did not have to go through security. When we arrived in Auckland we found our bags and walked to the hotel. On the walk over there we tipped our luggage carts over three times. One of the times was in the middle of a road! The hotel was nice and I let Kylie have the big bed. Kylie and I ordered room service and dad and mom had dinner at the restaurant. We stayed up late watching a movie.
The next morning we woke up early. Our flight left at ten am. Security was easy because we didn't have to take off our shoes. We got to our gate early. The flight was five and a half hours long. They served lunch and it was actually edible. When we arrived in Tahiti we gathered our bags and got on the ferry that takes you to Moorea. It took thirty minutes to get there. At the island a taxi drove us to our house. It was only six pm, but it soon became dark. The house is small but cozy. This morning we did schoolwork. I stayed here while everyone else went shopping. While they were gone I found a ripe cocoanut and opened it. It took an hour of banging it with a hammer to actually open it up. It had about two glasses worth of milk in it. When they got home, dad and I went snorkeling. We saw some fish, but it was too stirred up to see much. Tonight we are going to try to go floundering!
The next morning we woke up early. Our flight left at ten am. Security was easy because we didn't have to take off our shoes. We got to our gate early. The flight was five and a half hours long. They served lunch and it was actually edible. When we arrived in Tahiti we gathered our bags and got on the ferry that takes you to Moorea. It took thirty minutes to get there. At the island a taxi drove us to our house. It was only six pm, but it soon became dark. The house is small but cozy. This morning we did schoolwork. I stayed here while everyone else went shopping. While they were gone I found a ripe cocoanut and opened it. It took an hour of banging it with a hammer to actually open it up. It had about two glasses worth of milk in it. When they got home, dad and I went snorkeling. We saw some fish, but it was too stirred up to see much. Tonight we are going to try to go floundering!
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Gold Panning and Hunting - March 6
Yesterday we did a LOT! Dad and I left at seven thirty am. and drove four hours to Greymouth. Shane invited us to stay the night at his house and go gold panning with him. He had borrowed some gold pans from a friend of his. First, he drove us to a professional gold claim. Another friend of his (Shane knows almost everybody) owns and operates the claim. They use a dozers, excavators, and dump trucks. The gold here is bigger and more chunky. Shane's friend showed us a collection of gold nuggets that he has saved. He has at least fifty gold nuggets the size of pennies, and he finds them often. New Zealand gold is more pure than gold in the states.
When we finished looking at the claim, Shane took us to a secret gold spot. Someone he knows did a test hole in that spot and discovered that it is really good. Sadly, DOC (Department Of Conservation) ruined his opportunity and said that it is too close to a nearby stream and it would contaminate the water. In this area DOC is not looked upon with kind eyes. We got two buckets of the magic material to pan out in a nearby stream. The first pan I got three medium size flakes! The panning after that we did very well and during my last pan, I got a BIG flake!
After we finished, Shane took dad fishing for awhile. Dad had four bites and he missed each one. Then shane took us to a dairy farm (yet another one of his friends owns and manages it) and we got to see the process of milking cows. They milk the cows once and twice a day, switching between the two. Every time a cow is milked, it produces around four to six gallons (depending on the amount of food the cow eats)! The farmers usually immediately filter and cool the milk. The milk semi comes to pick up the milk every day.
We went back to Shane's house and had dinner when we finished the milk excursion. When we were full, we went back to the farm and loaded up. We were going hunting together again! The farmer drove the truck while Shane, dad, and I stood on the bed of his truck. We only had one gun this time, a magnum 22. We drove around the pastures with a spotlight (it is legal to use a spotlight while hunting in New Zealand) and every time we spotted a hare we would stop and try to get a shot at it. At the end, we probably saw about six rabbits and shot four of them. I got three of them! I am starting to like hunting!
When we finished looking at the claim, Shane took us to a secret gold spot. Someone he knows did a test hole in that spot and discovered that it is really good. Sadly, DOC (Department Of Conservation) ruined his opportunity and said that it is too close to a nearby stream and it would contaminate the water. In this area DOC is not looked upon with kind eyes. We got two buckets of the magic material to pan out in a nearby stream. The first pan I got three medium size flakes! The panning after that we did very well and during my last pan, I got a BIG flake!
After we finished, Shane took dad fishing for awhile. Dad had four bites and he missed each one. Then shane took us to a dairy farm (yet another one of his friends owns and manages it) and we got to see the process of milking cows. They milk the cows once and twice a day, switching between the two. Every time a cow is milked, it produces around four to six gallons (depending on the amount of food the cow eats)! The farmers usually immediately filter and cool the milk. The milk semi comes to pick up the milk every day.
We went back to Shane's house and had dinner when we finished the milk excursion. When we were full, we went back to the farm and loaded up. We were going hunting together again! The farmer drove the truck while Shane, dad, and I stood on the bed of his truck. We only had one gun this time, a magnum 22. We drove around the pastures with a spotlight (it is legal to use a spotlight while hunting in New Zealand) and every time we spotted a hare we would stop and try to get a shot at it. At the end, we probably saw about six rabbits and shot four of them. I got three of them! I am starting to like hunting!
Monday, March 3, 2014
Back To Nelson Again - March 4
Yesterday we packed our bags and drove back to Nelson. On the way back we stopped at a road-side stand that sells pears. They had some on plates that you could sample, so we got to try different types of pears. We ended up buying a bag of pears.
It was pouring rain when we arrived home and the house was freezing cold. For the first time we turned on the heaters. After dinner mom and dad had a pear bake off and I was the judge. My favorite type of fruit is pears, so I was excited! Dad made a chocolate and wine pear dish that he remembered having a long time ago. Mom went with her crepe style dessert and made a caramelized pear crepe. Dad tried to bribe me and put chocolates on my plate. Of course mom won!
Tomorrow dad and I are going to Greymouth again because Shane is going to go gold panning with us. We are spending one night there.
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