Today was our first full day in New Zealand.
This is a great weekend to be in the Hamilton Area. Lots of summer holiday events are happening, and the weather has been gorgeous.
We decided to have breakfast at a community market in a nearby village called Tamahere. This was clearly the place to be. We got there early enough to get a parking spot, but by the time we left the lot was overflowing! There were local wares and food trucks. Christmas decor here still has a wintery vibe, even though it's hot. It's a little odd, but I guess we'll just role with it. They have bundled up Santa's, pine trees with lights, and then you walk outside to the most gorgeous early summer blooms.
We then went to the Maungatautari Sanctuary. This park has an impenetrable fence around it to keep out all mammals, all of which have been introduced to New Zealand. Mammals like cats, dogs, rats, and mice, decimated the native populations of flightless birds and giant crickets. The santuary is designed to give native species a chance to live safely, and so far, they are thriving! The sanctuary has so many kiwi birds that they are now planning to move 300 (of their roughly 2500 population) to other, smaller, sanctuaries around the country. We didn't see any kiwis; they are shy and nocturnal, but we saw Kaka, brown parrots, Tui, and tons of native plants. We also found out that the sanctuary has 7 Kakapo, there are only about 200 of them left. There are efforts to breed them at a very isolated site on Stewart Island, and this is the first time that any of the surviving population have been moved to a different environment to see how they do! It's very exciting; we're really rooting for them.
We had lunch in cute downtown Cambridge, and then came back to Hamilton for what I call "the nostalgia tour." Waikato University, thankfully, filled my nostalgia bucket. College Hall dorms are still how I remember them. Our favorite bar is still next door- largely untouched. The bus station, library, and ponds have been upgraded, but not moved. Sadly, the Warehouse Hillcrest is now gigantic and maybe in a different spot? Generally, though, I was taken back to my study abroad experience and thrilled to be able to share a tiny piece of that with my family.
I'm sitting by the (empty) pool at the hotel to write this. It's December 16th and the weather is warm and gorgeous, so I'd rather be outside. Alyssa lasted for 5 minutes in the pool, but I give her points for trying.
Next I think we are going to a Christmas Festival on the lake.
This is a great weekend to be in the Hamilton Area. Lots of summer holiday events are happening, and the weather has been gorgeous.
We decided to have breakfast at a community market in a nearby village called Tamahere. This was clearly the place to be. We got there early enough to get a parking spot, but by the time we left the lot was overflowing! There were local wares and food trucks. Christmas decor here still has a wintery vibe, even though it's hot. It's a little odd, but I guess we'll just role with it. They have bundled up Santa's, pine trees with lights, and then you walk outside to the most gorgeous early summer blooms.
We then went to the Maungatautari Sanctuary. This park has an impenetrable fence around it to keep out all mammals, all of which have been introduced to New Zealand. Mammals like cats, dogs, rats, and mice, decimated the native populations of flightless birds and giant crickets. The santuary is designed to give native species a chance to live safely, and so far, they are thriving! The sanctuary has so many kiwi birds that they are now planning to move 300 (of their roughly 2500 population) to other, smaller, sanctuaries around the country. We didn't see any kiwis; they are shy and nocturnal, but we saw Kaka, brown parrots, Tui, and tons of native plants. We also found out that the sanctuary has 7 Kakapo, there are only about 200 of them left. There are efforts to breed them at a very isolated site on Stewart Island, and this is the first time that any of the surviving population have been moved to a different environment to see how they do! It's very exciting; we're really rooting for them.
We had lunch in cute downtown Cambridge, and then came back to Hamilton for what I call "the nostalgia tour." Waikato University, thankfully, filled my nostalgia bucket. College Hall dorms are still how I remember them. Our favorite bar is still next door- largely untouched. The bus station, library, and ponds have been upgraded, but not moved. Sadly, the Warehouse Hillcrest is now gigantic and maybe in a different spot? Generally, though, I was taken back to my study abroad experience and thrilled to be able to share a tiny piece of that with my family.
I'm sitting by the (empty) pool at the hotel to write this. It's December 16th and the weather is warm and gorgeous, so I'd rather be outside. Alyssa lasted for 5 minutes in the pool, but I give her points for trying.
Next I think we are going to a Christmas Festival on the lake.