First Day Of Classes

Ecology & Conservation and New Zealand Environmental Issues today. I think I will really enjoy the environmental issues class. The instructor hinted that we might take a field trip up to the Te Apiti windfarm -- one of the largest in the southern hemisphere. Awesome! The exams here are worth a ton more than they are the in the U.S. -- in one of my classes, the final is worth 60% of the grade. Despite this, I may still split and take a skiing trip in June in the five days between two of my exams. Definitely an option.

After class I went with Brian Tanis (never Brian, always Brian Tanis) to the beautiful Victoria Esplanade gardens. We walked the track along the river and discussed the inevitable canoe/kayaking trip down it, then wandered through the forst trails (covered in graceful ferns) to the rose garden, which was in 2003 rated among the top five rose gardens in the world for its beauty and diversity. The park also has an aviary replete with parrots of all descriptions, including budgies! They also had a strikingly beautiful albino peacock.

Pictures from the Garden

Part One of the Amusing New Zealand Accent Series:

Here in Aotearoa, the letter Z is pronounced "zed" and the letter W is said "dub." Therefore, Google's URL is "dub-dub-dub dot google dot en zed." Also, swimsuits are referred to as "togs;" sandals, "jandals."