Sunday

Looking to my left on the beach.

Looking to my right on the beach

Christoph, Yannik, and Leigh

Me on my first ever black sand beach

On the path going to Karekare

So yesterday was a pretty awesome day as well. Leigh, Christoph, Yannik and I went on a trip to Karekare beach. This beach (which is covered in black sand) was unbelievable. The drive there was along a mountain range that gave you beautiful glimpses at the ocean and the flora around you. Upon arriving you walk maybe 100 yards along a path to get to the beach. The path is lined with extradorinary plants, and of course the ever present Pohutukawa tree. This tree is really neat with narled branches that grow in all different directions. It is somewhat of a national treasure to NZ. At any rate, all the exotic flora made you feel as if it was a different planet. Suddently the path gives way to large black sand dunes made of this mysterious black sand. (Anyone knows what makes sand black? Maybe Iron.) Anyways, the beach was expansive with large clifs looking over it. The waves were massive and you could practically see the hundreds of different rips that awaited any swimmer that entered. The Tasman Sea is known for its incredible power and strong rips. I can't wait to endanger myself in them when it warms up. After a nice long walk, we headed back to the car and returned home.

Later in the day, Christoph took me for my first driving lesson. I felt as though I did a pretty decent job considering he only had to tell me to get on the other side of the road once. After that the cars coming straight at me, was a pretty good reminder not to drive on the right. One of the major differences in driving (outside of the obvious left side of the road, which includes might I add: the road side, the drivers side, the blinker hand, and the blinker directions (as in up for right and down for left) all being completely oppisite.) The blinker is probably the hardest thing to get used to. However as I was saying the major law difference is that if to vehicles are turning onto the same road, the car on the outside has the right of way. So for example in America it would be like if I was turning, and a car facing me wanted to turn left (on to the same road I was turning onto) then the car turning left would have the right of way. I find that odd, but its how it happens here. Oh also they use roundabouts everywhere which are absolutely terrifying. If I stop writing in my blog, the most likely occurance was that my body was disected by an oncoming car in a roundabout.

Regardless, the driving lesson was nice and its nice to have it over with. Mondat will be my first day alone with Yannik. Wish me luck. It should be interesting.