Snow in Wellington

http://vimeo.com/27709878

We had a week of bad weather in the middle of august, where it snowed three days in a row. Apparently snow is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for New Zealanders, exciting mass hysteria and playing outside. We were not so impressed, seeing as we seem to bring cold everywhere we go, but we were happy for everyone else. Above are just a couple of pics from our Kiwi friends playing on the rugby pitch right outside our dorm, and a link to a video of Cuba street which is only a few blocks from us.

Island Bay and the Red Rocks: Southern coast of Wellington

Seals!

Baby!

Island Bay

Tidal pools

View of Southern Alps and inter-island ferry

Long exposure!!!

Misty Mountains!

http://vimeo.com/27268951

Watch the link above ^ to see the seals in action!

      On a Wednesday afternoon after class, we decided to take the bus to the south of the city to island bay. We walked along extremely jagged rocks and random pools as the time came in, trying not to bust our shins. After a very long walk along the coast we reached the Red Rocks and the Seal colony, a few miles from Island Bay. There were dozens and dozens of seals, which blended into the surrounding rocks perfectly. We spotted one, and trying to get close enough for a picture, repeatedly stumbled upon many more to the sound of their barks of warning. They were very cute and we did see a baby, but they smelled exactly like feces and B.O. We also were able to finally see the south island from this point, which shows itself with beautiful snow-capped mountains in the distance rising out of the sea. We were exhausted after this long tramp through rock and coastline but it was well worth it!

Kaitoke Regional Park (Rivendell)

The beautiful Kaitoke Regional Park

River right next to our campsite

Second largest trees in the world!

A real life Hobbit hole

Los Bros

Getting ready for a frigid winter dip!

This is where a set was constructed for Rivendell in LOTR, probably the scene of Frodo in his room and numerous other shots

Gnarly swingbridge

Temple of doom!

Silver fern

Our Campsite

http://vimeo.com/27169793          (<---- Video made from the weekend. Check it out!)

On the last weekend of July, we went camping in Kaitoke regional park for two nights. We took the train to Upperhutt and walked/hitchiked to the park. We set up camp and had a diet of beans, ramen, rice, fruit and snack bars. The scenery on our hikes was absolutely amazing. This park was used to shoot scenes in Rivendell in LOTR, and it is easy to see why. The forests offered surreal vibes and unique differentiation at every turn. The trails were a mix between jungles and forests, rivers and marshes, valley floors and ridge summits. We had a fantastic but exhausting time hiking, climbing, exploring, swimming and hanging out at the campsite. On the way home a woman picked us up and drove all four of us all the way down to Wellington!