Blog ~ The Meeker-New Zealand Exchange Program

Ambassador Blog

Our Ambassador team wrote these entries
during the stay in New Zealand

Follow the links in the text
to learn more about where they went

Wednesday, March 4 ~ Primary School Visits
~ by Ambassador Morgan

At first when we were presenting I felt a bit embarrassed, but after a while I got into it, and it was pretty fun. I think the best part of our program was probably the video. It showed so much about American and Washington culture and it seemed like the kids at the schools really liked it. I also think our singing went pretty well because I didn’t see anyone laughing. At the contributing schools we did our assembly presentation (heritage speeches, video, and songs) and then we went to classes to do our individual presentations. Yesterday at Hargest, we did our individual presentations many times but for the other schools we only did it once.

Tuesday, March 3 ~ School Day, Farewell Dinner
~ by Ambassador Gabby

James Hargest offers most of the same classes as Meeker. Both schools have uniforms but I think that theirs are a little bit stricter. Their behavior at first seemed nothing like ours, but once I got in the classroom I found they were loud and there’s always a class clown! Their schedules are different. First of all, they mostly stay in home room all day for all their classes, but also they change classes everyday like Monday classes would be different than Tuesday classes. We just have the same classes every day. I would say that the schools are more different than similar because of the schedules, how they have different ones every day, but also the uniforms and how they act.

The farewell dinner was hectic at first because my host mom was helping with it so I helped too. It was also fun seeing a lot of people like not just old but new friends that you might not see ever again so it was so sad at some parts. It was really good talking about fun things that have happened on the trip!

Monday, March 2 ~ Te Anau
~ by Ambassador Jimmy

At the Glowworm Caves what I saw was a lot of specks of light coming from all around you (when the glowworms get hungrier they glow to attract more prey). You could see a lot of people's faces from the faint glow of the glowworms. Our guide was guiding us using ropes which you could not see half the time so I have no idea how he was guiding us through the caves. No one was talking which made a spooky effect in the caverns. There was huge water fall we could hear which made our trip to the caverns loud.

Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 28 - March 1
~ by Chaperone Tammy

We woke in Dunedin at Raewyn’s sister’s home. From there we packed up and headed home by way of many sight-seeing stops through the Catlins. Our first stop was at Nugget Point – a very nice walk along a cliff to a lighthouse. We saw seals at the bottom of the cliffs. Next stop was at Owaka for lunch and then we headed out to McLean Falls. This was a nice 20 minute walk through gorgeous bush up a hill on a nice wet trail. From there we went to the beach at Curio Bay and saw the yellow-eyed penguins and fur seals.

On Sunday we went to Riverton and beach combed for shells and went to a Paua shop. On the way home the family sold budgie blue birds to the pet shop and then bought a seven week old puppy – a Bichon / King Charles Spaniel mix. She is a cute one! I got to hold her the whole way home.

Friday, Feb. 27 ~ Dunedin Overnight
~ by Ambassador Haley

After we left the museum we went to Baldwin Street - the steepest street in the world. I walked backward up the street. The experience was tiring but fun. I was very proud of myself for making it up. I thought the street was intimidating at first, but when you go up it's not too bad.

After a swim and shower, it was off to the Cadbury Chocolate Factory.

The chocolate factory smelled sooooo good! I tried a real cocoa bean and IT WAS GROSS! I almost got sick. We also got free candy throughout the tour. I didn't buy a lot. I bought 5 king size bars. I also bought three Curly Wurlies because you can only get them at the factory. The last thing I bought was two mini containers of mixed chocolates. None of those were for my chaperones!

Thursday, Feb. 26 ~ Dunedin Overnight
~ by Ambassador Spencer

On our visit to the aquarium we did lots of things. At first we went to see the fish. There were all different kinds but I only remember Blue Cod. After looking at fish, we went into a virtual submarine and went to the depths of the sea. Then we went to the touch tank and saw lots of squishy things like sea cucumbers and sea anemone. Then we saw different types of sea life. After that we went to a room and looked at sea life under a microscope and ate seaweed chips, which were disgusting!

Next we drove to the museum and played in Discovery World which is a big room full of fun toys including a big slide, air-hockey, a foos-ball table, a freeze-shadow room and an aquarium. We went into a 3-story butterfly room where we observed 42 types of butterflies. After a while we went upstairs to eat pizza for tea. We went on a night walk afterwards to an exhibit called The Animal Attic and had a scavenger hunt. Then we went back to Discovery World and got ready for bed but we played in Discovery World before going to bed.

Wednesday, Feb. 25 ~ Invercargill's Amazing Race
~ by Ambassador Emily

In the amazing race we went to Queens Park, which has a cool castle playground thing with a Queen of Hearts and fun slide, and a regular playground. We also went to the Fire Museum which had a question and clue. My group figured out the clue but was freaking out trying to figure out what the clue meant, when it didn't really matter. We also went to a giant umbrella which had all the names from the old phonebook printed on the bricks below the umbrella. We also went to the water tower which has lots and lots of stairs you have to go up.

Tuesday, Feb. 24 ~ Stewart Island
~ by Ambassador Nicole S.

On Stewart Island we did a scavenger hunt that took us all over Oban. We took a tour to the tips of the island, we went to Half Moon Bay and got to learn about the pawn shop and how the people mostly buy their shopping items second hand because it costs too much to ship it over.

Then we went fishing. The birds were swarming and my chaperone Chaperone Louie got pooped on! I caught five fish and almost caught a huge shark. But then the shark started eating everyone's lines so we had to leave. We also saw birds on a native walk on Ulva Island. They all had very pretty colors. We learned that they put bands on their ankles to tell who their parents are and the bird's age.

Monday, Feb. 23 ~ Caving & Abseiling
~ by Ambassador Novelle

I thought spelunking was a lot of fun. I wasn't nervous at all to start with, but along the journey I started to get nervous jumping to a rock so my dad and a guide had to come help me get down and walk around a big water hole. Then, Kourtney helped me jump from a ladder to a rock. During the adventure we saw a big spider, glowworms, and lots of rock formations and stalagmites made of limestone. It was a ton of fun and I think it would be fun to do again sometime.

Abseiling was a lot of fun. I went second to last and the guy at the bottom who helped me out of the buckles told me I did the best at abseiling. The hardest part for me was getting through the wires and first letting go of the bridge. It was a lot of fun.

Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 21-22 ~ Weekend Fun
~ by Ambassador Connor

My family, Gabby's family, and Novelle's family went up to Kinloch for the weekend. We all had a blast. The kids got to stay in tents for the weekend. It was misty every day. William, Jack and I hung out with each other. We all brought wood for the bonfire. On the second day, we woke very early to go fishing all day. It was very choppy. Ella caught a fish and we all helped.

On the last day we went biscuiting (pulled in an inner tube behind a boat). I went with Monique and she made me fall out. When Jake and William went they ended up 60 feet from each other (that's got to hurt). It took about 3 hours to drive back to Invercargill. The closer we got to Invercargill, the more it rained. I learned that Kiwi's love Starbucks. The best part of the weekend was getting away and living in the country. It was nice we caught 2 fish and had them for dinner.

Friday, Feb. 20 ~ Queenstown and Horse Riding
~ by Ambassador Ashley

On Friday at the crack of dawn we had to get up and get in the buses and went straight to horseback riding. My group went first on the horses. My horse's name was Zoro; he was a tall black horse. We had a lot of fun together. While we were riding we had sideways rain and 35 mph winds. It was fun but windy and rainy. When we arrived back at the stables we fed our horses apples. Then the other group got on the horses and we went to Arrowtown to shop for 45 minutes. I bought a bunch of stuff for my family and friends. Then we went back to the stables and the other group fed their horses carrots.

We went on an hour and a half drive and I got very car sick. We went to Puzzle World where we went in the illusion room and the maze. The maze was lots of fun. We got a little bit lost but we finally got through even though we cheated two times (one time didn't do us any good!). Then we looked in the gift shop and ate some muffins. Then we got back in the vans for another long drive. We went back to Queenstown to Kelly's (a restaurant) for tea.

Sam and her mum came to get me and we went to their holiday house. When we got inside it smelled of dead animal. It turns out it was Rosie's (the dog's) food that was left in the fridge. We had pies later that were really yummy, then we went to bed.

Wednesday & Thursday, Feb. 18-19 ~ Queenstown Overnight
~ by Ambassador Nicole A.

On Wednesday we went to Stadium Southland and played sports such as wheelchair basketball, cricket, and several netball exercises. After that we drove and took the Kingston Flyer to Queenstown. On the Kingston Flyer, we witnessed a grass fire that was small but bad. The sparks from the engine started a couple fires and we had to wait while the engineers put them out. Once we arrived in Queenstown we ate at Sombreros, a Mexican restaurant. Then we went to our hostel and crashed.

On Thursday, we had a huge shopping spree. I got most of my shopping done. Later, we rode on the Shotover Jet. It was so fun but only 20 minutes long! After that, we took a helicopter to the luge. I didn't like the luge at first since I crashed twice, but I found it more fun at the end when I'd gotten the hang of it. We then took a gondola down the mountain and it was a gorgeous view. At the bottom, we went through a birdlife park and saw four live Kiwis and some other birds.

Wednesday, Feb. 18 ~ Bungy Jumping!
~ by Teacher Leader Janine

What a beautiful day and what a crazy thing to do! Bungy jumping has always been on my list of fun things to do in life. I was truly scared when I had to shuffle my feet out to the jumping platform. The bungy workers wrap your ankles well with a thick towel and strap your legs together. You wear a harness connected to the bungy rope. The workers count to 3, and you jump! That was the scary part! You worry if the bungy rope will catch you as you plunge to the water off the bridge. All went well and I would do it all over again! Chaperone Louie jumped after me and even got a little dunk in the water. Many of the Ambassadors wished they could bungy jump too!

Tuesday, Feb. 17 ~ Farm Day
~ by Ambassador Bailey

Today was farm day and we visited 5 farms and a produce (carrots and potatoes) processing plant. There was mostly sheep and cows. I noticed that all the farms we went to today had mainly one type of animal. I expected the farms to have more crops and not as many animals. I also noticed that the farms had only family members working on them. They didn't hire people. My favorite thing on the farms today was playing with the miniature horses. Bobbie, Kourtney and I got our horse to walk in water and jump over about a 2-foot jump. We got to milk cows - well at least hook them up to get milk. We could also shear the sheep if we wanted to. I think it would be fun to live on a farm but it would be a lot of work!

Monday, Feb. 16 ~ Sea Kayaking and Ropes Course
~ by Ambassador Nicole V.

Today we went to Adventure Southland where we went through a ropes course and rode waves at Oreti Beach as we experienced sea kayaking. At the ropes course, we played and ice-breaker game where each member of the team had to huddle and balance on a small block and sing a song. After the game, we climbed a huge rock wall and learned how to belay the person climbing. Our last obstacle was getting tied onto a harness and getting pulled into the air. This is called the Flying Weka although they renamed it the Flying American for the day.

When we went to the beach to learn how to sea kayak, we had to unload the kayaks, helmets, and life vests before we could go into the ocean. After everyone had a kayak and we went over the instructions, we hit the water! Once out there, everyone got a taste of the ocean... literally! We all experienced what it was like to flip in our kayaks and go face-first into the sea. We figured out, after a couple of tries, how to ride the waves. After what seemed like only a few minutes, our instructor blew his whistle and it was time for us to head back in. We packed up and hit the showers. Our day at Adventure Southland had come to an end.

Sunday, Feb. 15 ~ Welcome Dinner
~ by Ambassador William

My host family is Toby and his mom, Adriene. On Sunday we watched a town race. Then, we went to a museum and took lots of photos. Next we did a couple of rides at a nearby carnival. Last, we played video games, e-mailed on the computer, and watched television until it was time for the Welcome Dinner.

During the Welcome Dinner, Toby and I talked to lots of people. Then, we ate dinner. The foods that were served were beef (hamburgers), lamb, sausages, salad, cole slaw, bread, and potatoes. The new food I tried was vegemite. I did not like the taste because it tasted very salty. Next, the Kiwis sang their school song and introduced their guest. We ate dessert and talked for a while before leaving.

Teacher's Note regarding the "town race": The Invercargill Summer Festival was going on this weekend. Several of the Ambassadors participated in the Surf to City 11.5K event (Oreti Beach to Queens Park) on Sunday morning.

Saturday, Feb. 14 ~ Weekend with Host Families
~ by Ambassador Jennifer

The Marae visit was canceled.

Today we went to the beach with Connor and his host Jake. I learned how to boogie board. It was really fun. I also forgot to apply sunscreen. As you all can see, I got burnt, but it should turn into a tan really soon. I felt like a tomato. After the beach I rode Gypsi the horse for an hour or two. It was really fun and I bonded with Rebekah's sister Catherine, so it was cool. Rebekah watched and took some pictures. Afterwards Rebekah and I just hung out. I love it here!

Thursday, Feb. 12 ~ Beehive/Parliament and Te Papa
~ by Ambassador Bobbie

Two things that stand out the most about the parliament buildings was how much British influence was in the architecture, and that the original building had been burned down in a fire.

The best exhibit at Te Papa was the Te Marae, a traditional Māori meeting house. I like it the best because of the intricate designs and all the stories represented by the carvings. I learned that at a traditional Te Marae you must take off your shoes.

Two other important things I learned was that all three colossal squids found have been female, and that the Māori, who were originally Pacific Islanders, brought their own version of a dog to New Zealand.

Wednesday, Feb. 11 ~ Arrival / Tour of Wellington, Evening on the Beach
~ by Ambassador Kelsey

I learned that the population of Wellington is about 440,000 people. Since Wellington is on a fault line, there is generally about 200 earthquakes per year. Wellington is known as Windy Wellington - on a sunny day, there will be many surfers along the beaches. In New Zealand there are 40 million sheep and 70 million possums!

To describe Wellington I would say: Wellington is a green, rich area. It's full of new and old architecture which adds to its beauty and majesty. If you're looking for a peaceful yet fun place to go, choose Wellington!

Tuesday, Feb. 10

We didn't experience this day!

Monday, Feb. 9 ~ Travel
~ by Ambassador Kourtney

When thinking about our trip, I am most excited about being able to see Rosie (my host) again and meeting her family. Rosie came and stayed in America back in October and I had the opportunity to spend time with her.

On the long flight I watched 2 movies and attempted to get some sleep. I got a total of 1 hour of sleep. I taught some of the Ambassadors how to play 10,000. It was a pretty fun flight.

When we got to New Zealand, I thought it was funny that one of the Kiwi's we met thought we had "spunky" accents. She laughed at me when I said I wanted an accent like hers.

More from the First Day in Wellington
~ by Chaperone Louie, as related by Mrs. K.

We are all doing well… exhausted, but happy and excited to be there. Customs was a breeze and every piece of luggage made it! We did a tremendous amount of walking and went thru town on our way back from the garden tour hitting pedestrian rush hour as all the businesses closed for the day and everyone dumped out on the city streets. Captured some great shots of the group of 22 weaving thru all the New Zealanders!

After that, we went to a sandy beach in Wellington and went swimming in the ocean. Then we came back to the hostel and ordered pizza and basically crashed!

I (Louie) was up at 4:00 AM this morning because I haven't adjusted to the time change. Of course they have Starbucks, but it was not open until 6:30 AM. It is a beautiful city, and we're quite happy with how clean and nice the hostel is.

Hello from Wellington
~ Telephone call from Teacher Assistant Susan

Teacher Assistant Susan checked in via telephone with the web host and reports they got to Wellington just fine, enjoyed with the first day of touring with warm weather, and are settled in to the hostel.

The Long Flights
~ by Chaperone Louie, as related by Mrs. K.

All went well after departing from Seattle. Departure from San Fran was @ 7:30 instead of 7:00 due to a passenger requiring a brief bit of first aid attention. It was all shortly resolved and off we went. The seating on the big 777 aircraft was worked out and everyone was well taken care and near by. The kids and adults were quite happy, because each individual seat had its own entertainment system… So much for sleeping!