I'm Going Up the Country!

...got to get awaaaay!!! <--- lyrics of a song entitled as so by a teenage sibling band called Kitty, David and Lewis. Youtube them. They're so indie and 'cool'... Here's coming from someone who rarely listens to music.

More pressing matters now...

BAY OF ISLANDS HISTORY TRIP 2010 - wow.

The following is a blog about this crazy cool trip we had from 22nd - 25th September to the great and mighty Waikato Bay of Islands, the land where early contact was made between Maori and Europeans.

Wednesday, 22nd September

We began on trip on a really lousy Auckland day - Wednesday, following the successful mufti day. My neck was reeeaallly cold and so I must thank my lovely Zak for his scarf. I have many but of course, when someone gives you a scarf - you wear that scarf dammit! Anyway, it was really nice Zakee boy :) The above photo is the before. I must also add this tearful image:

Oh Hannah and Steph. How funny you two are.

It decided to rain intensely on us as we started to pack our bags onto Paul's bus. Lovely driver, Paul. In a mad panic of excitement and raining-on-ness, I hit my arm on the side of the bus so hard a bruise and scrape formed through my jumper. That hard. I know. Irreverent but an important detail at the same time. It's my blog OK?

I sat next to Nadia and we talked for about an hour. Mainly about food at that point. After that we all got tired and she went to sleep with Patrick... in the back seat. Yes. That's right. Unlike Waikato Trip, we had few stops and our first proper stop was Waipu (why not?).

Waipu is known for it's significant Scottish heritage. The Highland Games are held here which we all intend to come and see one day in our lifetimes. The biggest highlight of this town however, as much as we all love museums and history, was the mighty start to our op shop escapades!

Smiling above, you see our 'op shop crew'. From then on, we were united by our love for cheap clothes and 'stylish' jumpers. See our spoils? Oh how wonderful! We endeavoured from then on to beg good ol' Stew-Dawg to let us have 'op shop time' in all small towns that had one. Amazing. I bought a $7 suit and two jumpers for $2 each!

We stopped at Whangerei at about 1pm for lunch. Unfortunately, we didn't get to stop in the bustling city centre so our choices were limited food-wise. Nadia was forced to eat KFC! (OK, she wasn't FORCED but she did anyway...) Sweet Chilli Twister and some wicked wings. All good. That's for you A.

Our next historical stop was just past Kerikeri. Here is where the first stone store is in New Zealand set against an absolutely stunning water inlet/bend of the Kerikeri River. You can see why the Euroeans decided to base themselves there. Totally stunning. Adjacent to it is the mission house, residence of the Kemps built thanks to the chief Hongi Hika's protection. Here's a nice aerial shot. Wowzers.

By 5pm we were all pretty damn tired so we headed back to the Kerikeri township (lots of local game for the boys) and bought some groceries. We had a one hour drive to Paihia where we were booked into the quaint Mayfair Lodge - http://www.mayfairlodge.co.nz/ This was a really nice backpackers that I totally intend to utilise when I go up the country by myself one day :)

We settled in and met the owner whose name I forget - but he is a descendant of a chief whose name I also forget. Anyway, he seemed nice, and we carried on chilling out, buying more groceries from the Countdown - right next door (guts for the stop in Kerikeri), played a bit of pool and cricket and - OH MY GOSH. Met this wicked guy...

Al - who was so drunk he couldn't even pick up a tennis ball directly in front of him. Oh how he made the boys laugh. Peachee.

Dinner that night was nachos which was good or, if you want to take Al's stance: "Nachos are for gays!" Really though, they were pretty good and we have named them the 'Utu special' as we had had them successfully on Waikato trip. Missed Bannister at this point because his were sooo good last time. OK, not that they weren't now... I think we lacked brocolli...

That night we tried to reignite Kingitangi but it really wasn't the same. Instead we all ended up going our seperate ways, playing pool, darts or both. One thing is for sure. On the pool table, it was Team Stewart that took it out and gave great mana to Stew's name. Kia kaha! Poker was good too. Thanks Kev. I lost one dollar. At least Cheerag wasn't there.

Thursday, 23rd September

Woke up somewhat later than everyone else who had gotten up at 7am to go for a swim (Nadia?! Patrick?!) or a bit of an early morning walk. That was fine. Today would be a packed day of walking and listening so we packed on the porridge, cornflakes and scrambled eggs combos and headed off to the ferry.

Russell, aka Korerareka was labelled by Charles Darwin as "the hell hole of the pacific" - now that should not be a reflection on New Zealand as a whole. Before 1840, this was the largest European settlement because whaling was super popular back then. Stories go that here was a place of debauchery, gambling, sex and what not - like Tortuga. Except without the pirates. Or were there...? Anyway, it was actually an amazingly nice place, well, Bay of Islands is nice overall, so it's quite ironic that such a shitty society grew from this gorgeous bay... of islands...

We spent a good ten minutes or so wandering up to the flagpole that Hone Heke (not to be confused with Hongi Hika) cut three times (the fourth was his cousin or something) and another ten minutes wallowing in bliss of clean, well manicured grass. Also we saw the house that was featured in The Bachelor or something. Some people got excited. That was cool.

After reading the tagging on a memorial we started down the hill, walking, running, on others' backs... It was nice.

Later we visited a church of which I cannot remember its significance but I'm sure it had to with being the first of something. Either way it was nice with cushioned pews. One of the major highlights of our time in Russell was of course, op shopping. Good little store just opposite the museum and where the good 'c', I won't say the whole derogative, Troy "Sally" Lunn bought this fantastic outfit.

Wow. I must seriously be going over my photo quota this blog... This was a fantastic opportunity for me to buy a red jumper with similarities to the great red jumper of Elvin *cower in fear*. After this, a few of us stayed and ate bakery food and a few of us went up the Pompallier's house which also doubled as a leather working place. Fascinating. Also gave Sally Lunn an opportunity to model his dress, sorry, moomoo, to the young children in hopes they too would "follow their dreams".

The ferry ride back was nice and I even manage to have a bit of a nap. Following this, we had lunch in the main township. I had a pretty legitimate (as opposed to illegitimate bastard) mixed kebab.

Next stop. The great Treaty grounds! We started with a welcoming and reciprocated with a song we had only just learnt (thank you Jana!) and a small speech by Ervin. Samoan Maori? Hahaha! Our tour guide for the afternoon was the wife of the backpacker owner (the chief) and she was certainly... animated. Seriously, she talked a lot. Not that that was bad, we were just tired. Besides, she knew a lot and it was clear she enjoyed history including nice bits of useless information. I would add a photo of the amazing rolling hills but - photo quota...

By now we were absolutely knackered and by now it is a crime to not have mentioned good ol' Riley's birthday! Happy Birthday Riley! We love him so much that we made, well, Leaper made, a great bruschetta and bought some cake. To top it off, for dinner that night, after the bangers and veges (yummy!) we had the cake with left over ice cream AND fried bread. OMNOMONOMNOMNOMGSH! For the rest of the evening we played our usual games, read Time magazines and had the phatest DMC until 3am. Insane. WOW. Turns out STW-DAWG was raised in Africa! Just like that kid, Peekay in the Power of One. What a life.

Friday, 23rd September

Easy come, easy go. Lies. How hard it was to say good bye to the beautiful Bay of Islands and hello to boring old Auckland. I love Auckland. I could never live in the country, but I will really miss the company and atmosphere of such a beautiful trip.

Breakfast was porridge and baked beans, the usual and packed our bags for one last stop before we headed home.

Ruapekapeka. The 'bat's nest'. One of the largest, most complicated pa sites in New Zealand. It was constructed in 1845 and has the MEANEST tunnel system! We didn't stay long though. It was raining - and Auckland Girls' were there too...

Back on the bus read Scott Pilgrim until I got a headache, then slept, then read again, in that cycle until we reached Warkworth. More opshopping, as you should by now assume, and a hearty lunch. Must add that I purchased a delicate tea set that will be shared out to the history kids during our drinks night. Hannah bought a stunning red teapot which I am fully jealous of. This will be used to pour drinks in a very 'Cassette' way. For lunch, I had a roast pork (is there any other meat?) and sat with 'the history girls' at a trendy cafe that had such a nice array of pastas, calzones, pizzas and quiches and what not. I felt inclined to buy a berry iced tea which was also commendable. If only I could remember the name of the cafe, I would totally link it and recommend it to all passerbys.

On the road again for the final time. We reached Auckland, as promised - safe - and before 3pm. Good. I had work. Gotta say, this trip was a hugely fun and hugely educational trip. I recommend it to anyone who has the chance - 6th formers - and will definitely visit again.

History Trip. Better that Geo Trip.

x - see you at History drinks ;)

Expelliarmus!

That's right. I cut my hair boy-short.. and you thought you were cool. Jokes. On Monday, we found out that we were having the mufti day, protocol and all, so I literally had to make up my mind as to what I was going to dress up as. No option - must dress up. Ideas flew around in 4th period Drama - lounge sets, a wedding party... Harry Potter. This actually does relate to school, kiddos.

Tuesday the 21st of September, what a lovely ol' mufti day! Thanks to Amnesty International. The theme was 'Freedom of Speech' while the Year 13 theme was 'who can make the most outrageous statement?' or as 'Benjimin' Maiava' (there is another underlying joke here...) puts it: "Athletics day, all over again..." Ben has provided a totally hilarious and applicable facebook vlog (video blog) to explain this:

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1310252451381

Many 'entries' including the three amigos, Tim the tool man Taylor, Spiderman, Superman... Oh what fun!

Additionally, it was International food day which was a really nice treat. I swear, however, that I spend at least 3/4s of my income on food... Thus... not such a nice treat. Nice Bean soup, Korean Bulgolgi and ermm... the Chinese jelly...

This blog has been written quite some time after these events but no matter, I did go on history trip like the day after (to be blogged). I spent the evening finishing my final scholarship - the Arrow Foundation Scholarship - and packing at about 1am. Swell.

It's 12:17am. No one sleeps any more. I'm tired from History trip, which will be blogged tomorrow... and my neck is cold.

Examination-Nation

Wooooohooo!!! I've held off the writing of this blog until after for IMPACT. Yeah. IMPACT.

For one moment let me talk about my exams. This is my blog after all...

1. Scholarship English - yeah, why do I submit myself to the writing of MORE essays? Unknown. However, I actually enjoyed writing my three essays... and yes. I actually finished three. Crazy? Wha? Section A was about sadness. Boo hiss. For section B I wrote about my speciality text - Shakespeare - Much Ado cross between Othello via Twelfth Night. Section C was awesome. It was really fun to write about society and feminism and I managed to incorporate Doom into the essay. Ah Doom, what a game.

2. Economics - had this one in smelly ST1. Cold, damp and full of sneezing people. Four papers which seem to be the same level two papers but worth more credits. Sweet deal. Finished with half an hour to spare. Sat there seeing how many words I could make with the alphabet seating letters on the wall. (Admit it, you've played this game...)

3. Classics - better than I expected. I actually failed to study for this whatsoever. Honestly. I skimmed a book and banged it to my head a few times in an attempt to absorb information through osmosis but other than that. Yeah. Fail study. Regardless, I actually managed to finish the exam thanks to my greatly honed 'blagging' skill - thanks Nealie.

4. Drama - super fun as per usual. An Inspector Calls directed by Stephan Daldry was the topic of our 'unfamiliar text'. Really amazing production. It looked like a film. Anyway, for once, I didn't use up all the extra space. Nellie has taught me to be succinct. I will be succinct forever more.

5. History - was funny because I was two sessions behind. I got some decent 'help' from my friends (I get by with a little hep from my friends). Essays were OK. Special mention to Sarah Woolley for having "wildest, most visionary, most impractical scheme" stuck in her head. Amazing Sarah Woolley. Those scholarships are ours OK? <3

6. Scholarship History - quite bearable. Think about it like this: all information is given to you, you just add a teensy bit of your own and proceed to writing a six page article based on a thesis. Not so hard. Like Geo Schol. but cooler. I went there. I respect and love you Geographers. Young Historians has a nicer ring. ;) Special mention to Mr. Edward Hunter-Higgins because he really wants one and right about now is a good place to put him. I feel that sitting behind him allowed me to absorb the 'drag' of his knowledge as it flowed from his brain... Yes. Acknowledged.

For one second I'm going to stop talking about me. It was Ben's birthday on Saturday and this is my photo of the blog. Credits to Jana Nee of course. Happy birthday my brother! Team UF :)

Additionally, have a great rest of the year. So many things to do still. Remember. It's the last set of exams you Year 13s will ever sit. Sadness. Happiness. What the hell?-ness.

One week on... The show buzz hums quietly.

It has been one week since we opened on Broadway and Post Show Depression - PSD has reached a managable state.

Let me start from the top. On Monday - well - that was fully unimaginable. Firstly, the set was mid-way in destruction and Zak and I found out that the Social Science department had skived the set off us to 'brighten up' their new office. Sadness. This meant we could not tear a piece of the city for Jess when she got back.

Other thing - Jess was at Nationals. Happiness - but also sadness. Sarah, Zak and I sat in row J (best seats in the house), in a solemn mood for at the least - twenty minutes. There we sat, singing that sad, sad alto harmony for 'Guys and Dolls'.

We managed to create the perfect analogy for the show. Nellie is the pimp. Every year she hires a new show to entice children. Show then sleeps with all of them - all 53 of them - and has a loving relationship for about two months. It gets really intense during show week - he even gets to meet the friends and family who come to see the kids. It's all amazing and clearly a match made in heaven - until show dumps them all. Show decides to gap it leaving some more hurt than others. Unless of course, you're Anthony Gampell - show misses YOU.

But in all seriousness, show was an amazing time. We worked really hard and dedicated so much of our time and reaped the benefits. I will miss everyone of my show family but I promise to see every single Avondale show for the rest of my life. That's how much I love show. To those of you who came to see the show - you're amazing too. Cast can't do it alone. Technical, orchestra, costumes and YOU. That's right. Audience member, you did a fantastic job. Often the performance of a cast can be hugely lifted by audience response and all nights had a unique vibe in the audience.

The show buzz hums on forever. If you're in the area, pop by into Ms. Nealie's classroom - D10. Check out the left corner to find the 'show buzz' wall. You'll be pleasantly surprised at the novelties you find there :)

"When you see a guy, reach for stars in the sky, you can bet that he's doing it for some doll!"

P.S OLIVER! for next year *fingers crossed*

Craaaaaazyyy-ium.

Could have thought of a better title but pffft.

Today we hosted a most hilarious event. While all the sporty kids were away, the 'smart' kids got to play. Cranium! We ran two games at the same time. Four on four. Two teachers teams, two Prefects.

Team Prefects A

Sarah

Ruth

Marina

Chystal

Team Prefects B

Hayley

Alison

Dennis

Alex Coxy

Team Teachers A

Mr. Dockery

Ms. Orange (I hope that as her name!)

Ms. Learmonth

Team Teachers B

Ms. Lee

Ms. O'Hara

Ms. De Vries

I can't remember the last teachers on both teacher sides but that's not important :P

Here's the report I wrote up to go on the points table:

Prefects vs. Teachers Cranium

Wow. What can we say? The teachers proved to be quite formidable competition in the latest Prefects vs. Teachers social event.

Oh yes. We cranked creative cat and star performers (obviously) while they rocked data head and worm word (obviously). Lots of laughs had by all and it pains us to say this, but we went down 2-0 in two nail-bitingly close games. We would, however, like to take a moment to say four words. Prefect. Item. Talent. Quest.

Thanks to the prefects and teachers involved - especially the prefects that brought drinks and baked us amazing cupcakes, cookies, brownies and cakes! Omnomnomnomnom!

Coming up next:

Prefects vs. Teachers Singstar/Buzz. (Week One, Term Four)

As this photo proves:

...we had fun. Prefects, you should come play in the next event. If you're not a prefect, well, come watch... Other things coming up: bake-off and soccer. This'll be a fun few weeks.