Butterflies, Hang-gliding, and Falafel Burgers

Kia Ora!

I am now officially done with lectures at the University of Otago. WHAT?!?!? Time is crazy fast.

...Reminds me of that Pink Floyd song..... "You run and you run to catch up with the sun, but it's sinking / Racing around to come up behind you again... The time is gone, the song is over / Thought I'd something more to say."

Anyways.

Speaking of suns, how about some moons?? Hope everyone had the chance to see the gorgeous Blood Moon from last week. (Awesome picture courtesy of Thomas Or.)

Last week I also had the chance to visit the Tropical Discovery section of the Otago Museum, where there are BUTTERFLIES!!!! It brought me back about a decade to the time I went with my aunt and cousins to the butterfly museum somewhere in Colorado. Or maybe I went with my mom and brother... Holy Guacamole, where has my memory gone??

 

I admit... I was scared of the butterflies. Yes, me - a grown woman - took half an hour to muster the courage to approach a little butterfly. I had to learn how to pick them up by observing that cute little girl do it. But after an hour I was like a pro! Hooray for conquering fears!

And speaking of fears... on Sunday I went HANG-GLIDING in Queenstown! But what's funny about that is I'm NOT afraid of heights. In fact, hangliding was actually a bit underwhelming. I think I was expecting more of a 'roller coaster' effect - but instead it was more like watching a movie. But it was still awesome! Gliding over the trees and hills, wind roaring in my ears. I could run off a mountain cliff like that every morning. ;)

This was the view:

I went with my friend Michele. She's super awesome!

Yay! We did it!

Awesome big tree! 

This picture shouldn't be a surprise to anyone who knows me.

Where else in the world can you eat Kiwi and Hokey Pokey truffles???

We ate tofu and falafel burgers for lunch! I LOVE BEING A VEGETARIAN! So yum.

Kiwi accents make 'willow tree' sound like 'blue tree' to me.

Oh, and we got to Queenstown by hitchhiking! NOBODY FREAK OUT! Hitchhiking is common in New Zealand and is relatively safe. The rules are you go with a buddy and you don't get into a car you feel isn't safe. Plus just look at how damn cute we are! Who wouldn't want to help us out?

 So the rest of this week is studying and prepping for my tourism and sociology exams, which aren't until the beginning of November, and because I don't want to study for a full month, I'm going to go on a wee 'South-South Island' trip. I leave on Sunday for Invercargill and Stewart Island for a few days, then head to Te Anau and then Milford Sound where I will do sea kayaking. Then I'm going to do a three day, two-night 'Great Walk' - the Routeburn Track - followed by a night in Queenstown before heading back to good ol' Dunners, just in time for Halloween.

Life is good. God is good. I'm so incredibly blessed to have this opportunity to learn and grow and change and love and live. Last week I made two lists (because you know how much I like making lists). I listed all the things I love (and will miss) about Dunedin, and then I listed all the things I love (and do miss) about Denver/Parker. Both lists make me very happy.