Faith Filled Adventure Comes to an End

Where to even begin. . .This past weekend we were up North in Bay of Islands and Cape Reinga. Mainly for my future reference, I will go ahead and give a slight play by play of the wonderful week. 

Thursday was one of the best days of my life. It started out with an anxious drive up North with many random stops on the way. We stopped at an 800 year old tree and took pictures in lava lavas that James bought us. We then stopped in town for some of NZ's famous meat pies. By now, we were sick of stopping because we knew that we had emails awaiting that told us if we had been accepted to get an internship. Oh don't worry, we stopped a couple more random times and the last time, it was to see mosaic toilets, yes, mosaic toilets but before we could even see those, we spotted free internet so off we ran! I sat there anxious as can be, my heart felt like it was going to explode. I heard the results of two of the girls and got even more scared. It was my turn to check, and I had prepared for the worst so when I read the first line that said, "Hi Nicole, I have been asked to tell you that Jordan Ridge Elementary would like to offer you an internship, " I was shocked and had to re-read it a couple times. Neeley stared at me waiting for me to tell her the verdict and I couldn't even say anything, I just showed her the screen, nodded, and the tears came. It was such an overwhelming, exciting feeling. Everything I have ever worked for, my dream since I was 8 years old was coming true, I am a teacher, a class is being prepared for me right now as we speak. That was definitely the highlight of the trip.

Friday: We drove all the way to Cape Reinga, which is the Northern most tip of NZ, to experience the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean meet. It was absolutely gorgeous up there on top of the mountain just listening and watching the ocean. So peaceful, so green, so beautiful! We then planted a tree in honor of us BYU girls which was kind of cool! After that we headed out for lunch, sand surfing, and driving down 90 mile beach. That was actually really fun, just to drive along the beach for an hour or so, wind blowing, ocean waves crashing, and singing along to some quality music! Not only that, but having to dig our 13-seater van out of the sand was an adventure and a half as well! Later that night we made Poi balls with James!

Saturday: We drove to the little town of Russell that you have to get to by ferry. We went to the beach house of one of our professors we had back in January. This town was so quaint, so English and again, had amazing views from lookout points overlooking ocean and vast amounts of green! His beach house was on a small secluded beach with hardly any people, definitely a place I could get used to! We basically spent the day there playing around, and catching fish with our bear hands.

Sunday: Went to another friendly branch for church in the middle of nowhere. We basically just hung around, made dinner, watched the amazing sunset, and went for a stroll along the beach. 

Monday: Went on a gorgeous hike through the jungle to a nice waterfall. Great way to start the day. We then just relaxed at the beach across from our Motel the rest of the day. It was so peaceful, no stress, nothing to worry about, which doesn't happen often. The night ended with another beautiful sunset on the beach, the last one we will see in NZ, and an emotional last group FHE. 

Tuesday: We simply woke up nice and early and sang (or tried to through the tears) our "Te Aroha" and "Lean on Me" songs for James and presented him with a gift. We said our goodbyes and to home we went!

As this trip has come to an end, there has been a lot on my mind. The whole time I have been here, I have been thinking why I am here, and why I didn't go to Africa like I have always dreamed. I have come to realize that this journey has all been centered around Faith and I realize now, that is why I am here. I have been tested countless times since the second I signed up for this trip all the way till now. I look back at all the things I had to have faith in,and I see now that this entire trip, I have had to learn patience, faith, and trust. I can not even begin to express my gratitude for this experience, and the personal growth I have gained. Dr. J told us that when choosing who to bring here, he prayed that the girls that were chosen would be those that needed NZ and that NZ needed. He said it is no accident that any of us are here and I believe that. These 15 girls are amazing, and we have been told countless times by countless people that we are by far the closest group that has ever come around here. I couldn't be happier with the way this experience has turned out. I am so sad to leave, and kind of scared to go back to the real world. I am so used to having 15 girls that have my back, and that constantly have plans with that it will be strange to let that all go. I am excited to see what the future holds though, for all of us! Again though, one of the main things I have learned here is to have faith in what's ahead and that is what I will do; I will take what I have learned and continue on with my life, I feel like a whole new person! :)

The 800 year old tree!

We love the tree. . .

Cape Reinga!

More Cape Reinga!

Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean meeting

Simply Peaceful!

Northern most tip of NZ!!!

One of our little trees we planted in honor of us 16 BYU girls!

More Cape Reinga, we couldn't get enough of it, so gorgeous!

Love the beach!

Me and Christine, our cute Asian :)

Ya, we are doing Spider!

Another gorgeous sunset

Just stargazing. . .

Waiting for the sunset!

Hike to Hururu Falls

Hikin through the jungle!

I love to see the temple. . .

Hamilton Temple

This weekend we had the amazing opportunity to head down to Hamilton and Rotorua. We left Friday morning bright and early so that we could get to the temple by 9:30. It was a lovely drive and we were all so anxious to get there! I have always been told not to take for granted the closeness of our temples is Utah, but I never really understood until coming here and realizing that even for people that live in Auckland, it takes up most of the day to drive there and back and perform the work. They don't have the option of just picking up one morning, running to the temple, and continuing on with the day. It has to be planned ahead of time, especially for those that live on the south island! Anyway, it was wonderful, and the workers were as cute as ever, so excited to have us there and so friendly! After the temple, we continued on our journey for a couple hours to reach our destination in Rotorua where we stayed with a wonderful family in their huge home! We simply relaxed, cooked dinner, and watched a movie. The rest of the week went as follows:

Saturday: SHEEP SHOW!! Yes, we went to a sheep show! Did you know that the person to sheep ration is 1:10? Ya, out of control! Anyway, we were there an hour early so we could get front row seats to the show! Ha 16 American girls sitting front and center and excited! We got to take lots of pictures beforehand with the sheep and with some baby animals too. It was actually quit a fun adventure! After that, we headed back home to eat lunch and put on our togs! Off we went to expereince the infamous zorbing! That was by far one of the funnest top 5  things I have ever done!! I didn't think it would be that exciting but the giant ball is filled with water and there were 3 of us inside. We were sloshing around and couldn't stop laughing from the second we superman dove into the ball! Anyway, we went home and relaxed in a natural mineral water hot tub, sung some karaoke, and ate dinner. 

Sunday: oh where to begin. . .this was one of the most adventurous Sunday's I have ever experienced. It began with a lovely day at church, where as always, the members were extremely welcoming and wanted to talk to each of us. As we were ready to leave though, we kind of got stuck in the parking lot. We have a huge 13 seater van that got stuck into a spot with cars on every side! We had to back in and out, which took ten minutes. Then he went the wrong way so we got stuck at the top of the parking lot, meanwhile, the missionaries are trying to guide us out and members are staring and laughing. It was quit a sight I must admit! We finally got out though and backed all the way down the parking lot! Later that day we took a drive to a beautiful lake. It started raining on the way home and a stop sign was coming up that Dr. J didn't see, so he slammed on the breaks and we skidded sideways for about 10 seconds which felt like a lifetime when you are convinced you would tip over! It was literally amazing that we didn't, it was really scary! 15 minutes later, one of our tires blew out. So we changed it and went on our way. Too much adventure for one day! We had to relax and watch a movie to recover. It is a miracle we are alive with the way that man drives! His famous line is "oops", which he says every time he pulls a scary move, such as passing cars as we are going around sharp turns so you can't see whose coming! 

Monday: After recovering from Sunday's adventure, we woke up and headed out to Te Puia, a thermal pool park and Maori village. We saw a fabulous performance that some of the girls got to participate in and Dr. J got to be chief! We then toured around the thermal park, which was beautiful and smelt lovely (sulfer. mmmm) We actually got to see two live kiwi birds, which is rare because they are endangered! They are huge birds, it was neat though! We then drove to 3 different lakes, green lake, blue lake, and Tarewera lake. These were gorgeous as well, as is all of New Zealand! We then went into downtown Rotorua to see the old architecture and walk along the ocean. Later that night, we attended a small dinner theater show that the family we were staying with owned. We got to try all sorts of NZ cuisine, such as mussels, crab, kumara, and lots of ham from a hangi! 

Tuesday: This was our last day and we ended it as best as we could! We had the fantastic opportunity to go Black Water rafting in Waitomo Caves as we viewed the glowworms! It was absolutely amazing and a blast! We had to get all geared up and crawled into a tiny hole that led to a cold cave. We hiked through water for a bit, jumped off some waterfalls backwards, and floated through the cave while looking up and seeing the millions of gorgeous glowworms! It was actually very peaceful. Great way to end a wonderful vacation. 

P.S. I find out tomorrow if I get an internship, basically none of us will be bale to sleep, can't wait!!

Hamilton, New Zealand Temple

ya, most of them couldn't see

I almost got attacked right as they took the picture. . .look at the sneaky fellow behind me

Poor sheep about to get sheared!

All 16 of us there nice and early, front row!

Before we went down!

Rolling. . .

We made it!

Relaxing in the natural mineral pool!

Just singin some karaoke. . .

Poor van. . .what a rough day!

 

Hooray for lake number 3!

So Wishbone was staying with us, he is retired, so he has let himself go a bit, but we love him anyways, he was our buddy!

And this is why I am a teacher. . .

My class: Kahu 4

My love for this country only continues to grow as it did today, on my last day at Ranui Primary School! I am amazed at the kindness of these people as we were welcomed with open arms by the entire staff. I felt apart of the school the first day we were there by every single staff member. The day started with our lovely 30 minute walk to school. We got our usual honk and whistle and saw the same people we do everyday, feels just like our own town now. When we arrived at school, I went to my room to give my associate teacher a gift and as I got there, I was greeted by a couple girls who said "you cant go in, we are surprising you!" Then there was a lot of, "hey you weren't supposed tell her, the decorations were for her!" haha oh kids. . .so I left and as I was walking to a different class, and I was hug attacked by a bunch of random girls who said not to go and that they will miss me. This has occurred the entire time we were here, random kids knowing us without us knowing them, random kids making me notes and telling me I look beautiful. I have never felt so loved by so many kids! I then headed to my class where I was greeted by many who started giving me there little bands they all wear around their wrists. D.J. gave me one that said I love you on it and he had a huge smile, Bruwyn gave me one that said Best Friends, and Lavinia gave me a "i miss you" one. As the day went on, my class had a party so we watched movies, had a huge shared lunch, and just played around. Right before lunch though, the kids gathered around me and whoever wanted to, stood up to say something to me. The majority of them stood up to tell me thank you and that they will miss me. I was pleasantly surprised by Bruwyn, Kahu, James, and Faaiu,  my "too cool for school" trouble makers, who stood up and said some really sweet things and even that they loved me! Ya, I started to tear up, how could you not! They were so sweet! Then those who had gifts for me handed those to me. D.J, my crush, gave me a really nice flax bag that I actually had been wanting, some earrings, necklace and bracelet all made of bamboo. He was so excited! I also got a bunch of candy, some really cute notes, perfume, a gold bracelet, and the best gift of all. . . a dress and some high heels!! Oh be prepared, I will post a picture soon :) After the gift presentation, it was lunch, so I went out to play with the kids one last time. As I was walking, I was kiss attacked by a huge group of girls! I had my camera out so immediately I was surrounded by a ton more kids wanting pictures. A couple kids wouldn't let go! Petesa insisted she was coming home with me, probably about 12 times! Bruwyn told me he would just get in my suitcase if thats okay! Oh I can't forget, infamous Kahu in his little blue boxer briefs running around today after swimming,I asked him where his clothes were and why he was in his underwear, he told me, "I just got done swimming Whaea Nicole!" oh of course, how could i be so silly, since its normal for kids to swim in boxer briefs, what a funny kid! At the end of the day, the school announced over the loud speaker we were leaving and how grateful they were for us!I then gave the kids their cards and treats and I received more hugs than I have my entire life probably! Ha, D.J. was so cute, he said bye, and left, but came back four times to say bye and give me more hugs, he then told me he wanted to stick glue on him to stick to me forever! I hate to have favorites but I will definitely miss that boy, one of the sweetest, funniest kids to joke around with! Sweet, troubled, James came up to me all shy at the end of the day asking for my email, along with Kahu. The two boys I took as my special projects, to help. Kahu because of his behavior, and James because of his academics and behavior.  And this is why I am going to be a teacher, the reward at the end of the day isn't the money obviously, its the love the kids have for you, and seeing the kids, like James, come up to you and say "Whaea Nicole, can you teach me some more today, I really want to learn more!" The students excitement about their progress and success is priceless. Their smiles, hugs, and kind honest words are life changing. I have the greatest profession by far!
 Not only have these kids been so sweet, but the teaching aspect of this experience has been amazing! I can not even begin to start with all the things that I have learned! I have been enlightened with a new culture, and a new way of doing things. My associate teacher, Toni, was absolutely amazing and made me feel good about my teaching abilities even when it got really tough. I will always remember this experience and the people that I have had the chance to meet and learn from. I do not know how I got so lucky and blessed but I am so grateful for every second of this experience, no matter how tough it was!

Oh I absolutely love this boy!

Our shared lunch, we ate heaps!

Some of the boys. . .love them!

The sweet group of girls. . .

Me and Toni. . . and some of the kids!

This is what happens when you try taking a picture of just a couple of students . . .

D.J. loved giving me his hat to wear, they said I was looking good!

Me, Kahu, and Sandouane after swimming, yes Kahu is in his boxers, and yes, he thought he was super funny getting me all wet right before this picture.

Silly Boys; the one in the hat is Kaipara, the boy who has pulled a knife on a teacher and more. . .sweet boy, just make sure he doesn't get angry:)

More of my kids!

The cute bag D.J. gave me!

My hot outfit Rose gave me, we are convinced she raided her mothers closet! Although, I think I found what I am wearing to the Opera House in Sydney!

The fantastic four at Ranui Primary School!

Bittersweet. . .

Me and Junior! Yes he is in his P.J.'s but at least he has clothes on!

Oh what a week in the land of no worries! It all began with a family home evening straight out of a storybook, or possibly little house on the prairie! We went to a little family in our ward, the Kristy's, who is absolutely perfect! They have 4 adorable children and their house all by itself but surrounded by rolling hills, trees, horses, and beauty! We had a little lesson and played some games such as three legged races which got pretty intense, and then they let us ride their horses. I rode to the top of the hill and could look out across acres and acres of pure green bliss. The stars are amazing from their house, so peaceful, as we sat around the campfire and ate homemade blackberry pie, not to mention the blackberries had been hand picked that morning by the kids! Basically my dream home! Anyway, moving on, this week was like any other, except a little bittersweet seeing that this was our last full week and weekend in Auckland! I continued to teach my crazy class and try and help as much as I could. We went on a field trip on Thursday to Polyfest which was fun except some of the kids are little complainers; so every now and then I had to do Happy Checks and make sure they were smiling! They ended up having a good time and so did I, it was fun to see what 9 year old girls spend their money on. . .lots of food, and random Bob Marley bracelets, and you can't forget the twilight attire!

Friday was our sleep in day. . and we did just that! Caught up on sleep we don't get throughout the week and did some homework, which I am almost all the way done with and I will be free of school forever! We then had almost all of the girls over for stay late/sleepover with some. Emily brought her famous homemade cheesecake and mum of course was too sweet and served all of us ice cream even though we told her not to worry about us! She is too nice, always so welcoming, and makes all of us feel right at home! And if you were wondering, what does a group of 12 girls talk about. . . horror stories of our classes of course, I mean we are all teachers! It was good to talk to everyone because it made us realize we are having crazy adventures and we just have to tough it our this last week. Not to mention that when we get back to the states, we will have our own class with our own rules,(that is if we get accepted into an internship which I will find out in a week and a half) we are keeping our chins up!

Saturday we went to brunch at the top of the Skytower! We felt all fancy, seeing as it was like a 5 course meal as we rotated around the city! I don't think I have felt that full since being here. . . there were danishes at the beginning, then an appetizer, main course, side, and dessert. None of which were small! It was a fun adventure though, that took 3 hours!! Later on that evening, after we had digested and felt a little less full, we got picked up by a boy in our ward (Derryk, the ward mission leader) and his friends and they took us to another rugby game! It was the Auckland Blues vs. Wellington Hurricanes, and oh yes, we got free flags to support our home team, The Blues! WE got really good seats again but even better than before because we were in the middle! We could literally see their calf and thigh muscles from our seats! In fact, Derryk, he plays rugby and knows a lot about the teams, pointed out a guy on the Wellington team that recently had surgery on his calves because they were too big!! these guys are not small. . .anyway it was a really fun game, and WE WON!! Afterwards we went to get a feed, thats what they call it but it's very traditional to always go get something to eat after hanging out.

Well it was a long weekend so it has been a relaxing Sunday but sad too, it was our last day in our ward. I will be in a new city/ward each coming Sunday for the next 3 weeks, 4 technically if you count home. Our ward has been absolutely amazing to us and I looked around today and it felt like home. It was sad to say goodbye to our ward and the young woman that we have been working with. I have had an amazing time and many great experiences just being in their with them. It was the last time I will get to sit by those cute kids in church, and good grief it was the first Sunday little  junior kept all his clothes on, what a treat!! These kids are  great examples, little junior who is 2, sat by me in church and held the hymn book with me as he pretended to sing he entire closing hymn. He closed it right up, folded his arms and was ready for the prayer! They learn so young!  It will be good to be back home but I am sure going to miss my kiwi family here in Auckland!

View from the Kristy's house 

Another view. . .

Getting ready for our three legged races

Homemmade Blackberry pie. . . 

Two of the adorable kids. . .

We got to walk across glass at the top of the skytower. . .I thought of dad as I did this :)

Jess, Heidi, me, and Em

Another view from the top. . .Harbour Bridge

Waiting for lunch!

The Skytower

Yep, I got a flag, I'm a true Blues fan!

Go team!

Halftime!

Its been established, the sky in New Zealand is the most amazing sky, every night!! Pictures don't really capture it!

Our team, waiting during the moment of silence for Japan.

Precious Tatiana. . .so perfect. . . :)