Winter in NZ!

Winter is definitely here and it feels cold! So strange that it's June and I'm wearing hat and gloves-can't get my head around it! It doesn't get as cold in Auckland as it does in the UK supposedly but it feels colder because the houses are wooden and don't have central heating (radiators). My classroom is particularly cold and this week my heat pump was broken and was stuck on air conditioner instead which really helped matters!

Lately I've not been up to much...went to the Bay of Islands with Michelle at the end of Easter holidays-it was fun despite raining the whole time we were there! Apparently you can swim with dolphins and whale watch up there but the sea was just too rough to do anything and all boat tours were cancelled. It was Anzac Day while we were there which is when Australians and New Zealanders remember people that died during the wars. They chose that day because there was a huge loss of life around a beach in Turkey (I think) and they have poppies and lay wreaths just like we do on Remembrance Sunday. We met some of the NZ Navy who were at the Bay of Islands for a dawn parade.

On the way home from the Bay of Islands we stopped at 'the most photographed loo in NZ'! It was designed by an Austrian man who lived in this small village and there were so many people there to see it! It's an actual tourist attraction in the guide book but is just a very fancy, decorated toilet! It appeared to be made from ceramic, glass, clay and coloured bottles,etc. See the photos above.

I learnt more about the history of NZ when I went to the Auckland Museum last week. It's a really amazing museum with lots of Maori and Pacific culture and lots about NZ's unique environment including animals and plants that are only found here like Kiwi birds and the Moa (a huge, now extinct, bird that looks a bit like an emu). My favourite part was the Volcano exhibition. There are tonnes of volcanoes in and around NZ (some still active) and Auckland is built on around 50 volcanoes. There was this house you could go inside and they had a fake news report saying that volcanic activity had been seen around Rangitoto and then through the 'window' you could see it erupting it the sea and the house shook. It was really quite scary, especially as there is a chance it could actually happen!

Currently, looking forward to my parents and brother coming out to visit in 4 weeks time-will be really lovely to see them and will finally get a chance to explore the south island. It'll be even colder than here though so I'll need to pack some warm clothes!