Glowing Maggots & Minibeasts

Last weekend (our 4-day weekend) we ventured north from Napier. First stop on our journey was the beautiful town of Taupo, which is nestled along the banks of Lake Taupo, the largest lake in NZ. I saw my first view of NZ snowcapped mountains!

Not a picture I took, but you get the point! 

View from our room 

After a bit of blustery lakeside exploration, we happened upon a brochure that advertised the Huka Honey Hive. A FREE explorative beehive was just too fantastic to pass up. We jumped in the car and followed the winding road about 15minutes up the road to this cute little building with some adorable signs. Inside, the little store/hive bustled with tourists and bees alike. We were able to watch a hive in action at the glass display cases, taste an assortment of delectable honey, and even sample some mead and honey bourbon!

After the Honey Hive we traveled just a bit further to the Huka falls that the locals kept telling us about. We weren’t sure exactly what to expect, but once we got there we were amazed! As a result of spectacular geographical configurations, a serene waterway transforms in almost an instant to a raging river gushing 220,000 litres (~59 gal) of water each second over an 11-metre ledge. As quickly as the ferocity appeared, it dissipates almost immediately after plunging into the pool below. It was an amazing strength to witness.

After a night in Taupo we took the two-hour drive to Waitomo. I had booked us the tri-cave package where we explored each of the three stunning caves in the area- Waitomo Glowworm Cave, Ruakuri Cave, and Aranui Cave. (I said each of those names about a million times to get the pronunciation correct!)

First on the list was Ruakuri. Between the lively tour guide and the formations, this one was my favorite tour. It was 2 hours filled with cave jokes, rushing underground rivers, and millions of little glowworms. As an entomological side note, these ‘worms’ are actually maggots that will become flies after about 9 months of glowing and eating within the cave. Each maggot descends 15-20 lines of sticky spit. As flying insects (mosquitoes and such) approach the luminescent dots they become entangled in the lines. The maggot reels them up, turns their insides into goo and devours them. As adults they only live for about 3 weeks.

I don’t understand how that didn’t make it into the brochure.

These are the strings of spit from the glowworms 

Aranui was short and sweet. There were no worms in this one, but I did get my first glimpse of a weta!!

Not the weta I saw, but this is what they are! Photo by Mike Locke

The last tour was the tour- the amazing Waitomo Glowworm Cave. It definitely lived up to the hype and Dave and Eva’s recommendations. The use of cameras was forbidden and our guide was mediocre, but nothing could stifle the experience of gliding through a pitch-black cave in a big aluminum boat while hundreds of thousands of tiny glowing larvae twinkle just above you. As with any good tour, it did not last nearly long enough!

Our guide going back into the cave after the tour 

There is another tour, the Black Abyss, where participants spend 5 hours in the cave crawling through holes, rappelling down subterranean cliffs, and navigating the clandestine rivers by raft…. next time!!!

After a very exciting day below the surface of the earth, we drove back to Taupo and snagged the last room in the whole town- the man came out and put up the ‘No Vacancy’ sign as Chris was booking the room! Apparently Taupo is the place to be on a Saturday night! Also on this Saturday night was the NZ vs. Australia rugby game- the All Blacks (not as racist as it sounds, their uniform is all black) against the Wallabies. We went to a bar to watch it and a very kind gentleman explained what was happening. Now I understand why Kiwis consider gridiron (American football) a sissy sport. Rugby is brutal! And apparently you can tie because after an intense and bloody match it was a draw!!

Photo: Anthony Johnson

Following our long weekend was another fabulous school week. We have both been given considerable responsibility within the teaching and are looking forward to our weeks of full control, which will be within the next few weeks. I was fortunate enough this week to teach one of the final Minibeast lessons. I discussed insect habitats and made a big poster to assess what students knew about insect homes. Now, many little hand-drawn insects have a home in the air, on a plant, or on the ground!!

Chris and I were both fortunate enough to accompany a couple classes on field trips to a nearby estuary. Thursday was my day to play in the mud and find sea creatures and Friday Chris adventured with the older kids. This ‘pond’ is such a marvelous teaching resource!

 The week was made complete by my first package!! Thanks, Mom! 

Pretty flower I found 

Yet another week is upon us! I don’t know where time goes, but it sure does fly! We love every minute of it here and we’re looking forward to the summer weather.

Spring clouds churning 

Sending all our love,

K & C 

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Avocados & Earthquakes

We have successfully completed week one of ten in the NZ school system!! I can’t believe it has only been one week (and a 4-day week at that)! I am already in love with my bundle of 5-year-olds in Year One and Chris is smitten with his Year 5/6 class. They are all just lovely! =D

I would like to first point out the view from the school. That’s the ocean!! It is so close and beautiful and no matter how windy it gets at the top of the hill, that is a priceless view. Ahhh.

We have quite the walk to get to and from school each day. Literally, hundreds of steps. We have to go down Bluff Hill, cross the road and go back up Hospital Hill. Google Maps did not prepare me for this!

Just 107 more to go.... on this half!! 

You can see Chris about half way up the stairs!  

We go down these stairs, across the street and up the set on the left. 

Now, I am seriously in love with all of my little students. They are just so precious with their accents and curiosity. There are a couple that instantly melt my heart every time we talk. Ah! So cute! When my CT (cooperating teacher) said that there was a Mr. Curry around too, the students immediately suggested that the two of us should meet- perhaps we would even like each other! What dolls!

Today, Thursday, I received my first gift from a student- a bag of fresh avocados off her tree at home! How thoughtful.

The bag with the avocados says "Mrs Curry <3" 

On Wednesday we actually experienced an earthquake. It apparently registered as a 5.5 and originated north of us. My CT and I were outside on lunch duty with the Juniors (Years 1-3). Amongst an intense bluster and children asking to be excused, the bell rang in an unfamiliar sequence. Before I knew it, everyone was crouching on the ground covering their necks!! My CT laughed at me from across the students and motioned for me to drop. I obeyed. The bell finished, students rose, and we made our way to the designated meeting area. The wind immediately took advantage of the situation tossing food, bags, and boxes high into the sky and far across the field. Students and faculty filed into the appropriate spots and we counted our kids. Once that was all over we spent the rest of duty hunting down lunches devastated by the gale for teary-eyed little ones. Neither Chris nor I felt the shakes, but others inside the buildings noted the movement.

I was standing on the right side of the cement section when the quake bell rang. 

Back to the school system! The student body as a whole has a very interesting dynamic. Students from other years would recognize that we were new faces and just say “hi” at morning tea (yeah, we have morning tea everyday!) or just out around campus. Once we were introduced at our separate assemblies, random students would say, “hi Mr./Mrs. Curry!” The students immediately accepted us and welcomed us whole-heartedly. It was a marvelous feeling to be so genuinely integrated without adult provocation. Marvelous souls these young ones have.

I am also amazed by their honesty. They are children and obviously make hiccups, but the in situations I encountered they immediately declared their wrongdoing- sometimes even on their own accord: a boy approached me on playground duty and said he had “accidently kicked a boy”. He proceeded to tell me that the boy wanted him to play, he declined, and the other persisted so he kicked him. Not really an accident, but I wouldn’t have even been aware of the situation had he not sought me.

We are beginning to fall into a sort of routine in the cottage. We even did a round of laundry! The thing about laundry here is that no one really uses dryers. It is customary to hang-dry all clothes after the wash. So, we did!! It will take a while to adjust to non-air fluff clothes, but we’ll get over that!

This is Polly the Golden Doodle. I love Polly so much. I want a dog so badly!!

Such a lovable little pup! 

We are fortunate enough to have a four-day weekend! Friday is Hawks Bay Day- our little nook of the country has the day off to recognize the founding of Hawks Bay. Monday is NZ Labor Day! We plan to work our way up to Taupo and to the Waitomo glowworm caves! We are hoping to be back by Monday to spend a day just sitting and relaxing!

Next week looks like a couple trips to the estuary to, “watch the birds and the tides and such” (what a field trip!), a couple Minibeast lessons, and surely terrific views.

Sending all our love on the sea breeze!

<3 K & C 

We’ve Got Accents!

What a whirlwind couple of days!! After a quick trip to Wai-o-Tapu, Thermal Wonderland, we made it down to Napier and are getting settled into our new little cottage.

The drive was absolutely breathtaking!
 And it feels really cool to see a speed limit sign for 100 (even if it is in km)!

In front of our cottage with a Kiwi-goodie bag from my CT! 

Our host family is absolutely lovely!! R & K (our “foster parents”) welcomed us wholeheartedly into their home and even brought us toast the first morning! What a lovely surprise! They have exceeded all expectations. Their two little ones M, a smiley almost-8-year old, and L, a giggly little ball of energy, are brilliant! Their dynamic reminds me so much of Steph and me. And we can’t forget Polly- the big curly-haired pup! There is a cat somewhere, but it has been a bit elusive and I can’t say that I mind. They are all a blast to be around and will surely make the next few months great fun.

Today we ventured out on foot to see what we could find. Just below our hill, Bluff Hill, is town and the walk down the hill is marvelous. You trek down the switchbacks of the worn cement through a lush forest of ferns as big as spruces and flowers so fragrant and bursting with color you’d think they were fake. (I don’t think NZ does dull colors- everything is vibrant!) Turns out, we found a bustling downtown (with a plethora of chic boutiques, unique cuisine, and earthy cafes), a couple of Countdown grocery stores, and… THE OCEAN!

This is seriously a spectacular sight. The water is a dazzling turquoise that laps tirelessly upon an endless path of steely-grey pebbles. Apparently it is a dangerous beach to swim in, but it sure is stunning! (The beaches in either direction are more suitable for play.) I could sit out there for hours on the hot stones listening to the waves crashing!

This evening we had a lovely dinner over at my cooperating teacher’s (CT) home with her family and our host family. She has two utterly charming children as well who attend our school. Her mother, V, is our supervisor through the program and we were lucky enough to have her join us for dinner as well! It was a grand affair with fabulous food and a spectacular view of Cape Kidnappers.

My CT also showed us the school today!! We got to see our classrooms and pictures of all of our lovely children! We start school on Monday and I know we are both so excited! Now, we just have to get our MSU assignments out of the way so we can be fully in this remarkable experience.