Yesterday was an INCREDIBLE day! It was our first group field trip and we took a bus tour to areas around and in Auckland. First, we went to mission bay, the beach i had walked to before and talked about Rangitoto Island- which we had gone to on friday- so we thought the day may be kinda boring if it was just things we had done.....but then it got soo much better.
We went to Mt. Eden and saw the highest peak in Auckland, which was (not surprisingly) a volcanic crater. And there were cows in the crater, which was really random. Then, we drove around for a while and went to Waitakere Ranges Regional Park, which basically looked like a golfcourse, but had some sweet trails by it and we hiked and saw MASSIVE trees the english settlers used to use for masts.
The best part of the day was when we drove up and saw the massive sand dunes. Pictures can not capture how beautiful the rolling dark sand was against the unbelievably green mountains. And then the sand fell down these steep cliffs into a giant lake and a handful of us stripped down to our suits, ran, and jumped into the lake. It was incredible. Then we all went dune jumping...it was soooo much fun. I was so glad that everyone was having the time of their lives. We have such a great group.
Then, it started pouring and we were all soaked and covered in sand. It was so amazing. In the end, we stopped by Bethel Beach, known for its deadly currents, and then stopped in at a winery to taste the grapes of the land. In the evening, we headed out to hear one of our coordinators, Kenneth, play with his band at an irish pub. A great relaxing end to an exhausting but rewarding day. I predict it was a top 10 trip for sure.
You can see more photos at: http://picasaweb.google.com/IamRoshon/January2009?authkey=9QZ8moh4Obw&feat=directlink
1 comment:
The dune jumping looks amazing!! Sounds like you are having a great time.
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