2/6/02 Christ Church, NZ (Kelly)
again...scroll down to 2/1/02 and work your way up for the most current update.
It is a national holiday in New Zealand today, Waitangi Day. Apparantly it's the anniversary of when the Maori's signed a treaty with New Zealand. I don't really know what the treaty was about except supposedly it was very similar to what the Native American Indians back home signed that put them on Indian reservations or in other words, gave them a 'plot' of land. The Maori's are New Zealands "American Indians." Anyways, due to this holiday most of the shops and all the government buildings were closed. This left a limit as to what we were able to do so Phillip and I are taking it easy today by going to the movies and passing time in a cyber cafe. Of course the theaters were open becasuse school was out, therefor, they were busting at the seems with kids, lots of them!!
We actually met a couple of American girls (they are college students at UNC) on the Abel Tasman Track, Kathleen and Jessie, that are staying in the same hostel as us...we ran into them last night so we decided that we were going to throw our own little party tonight. We then met two more American guys, Lauren and Mark, at the hostel tonight. The six of us actually went out tonight to a bar and then to a club. I drank for the 1st time since I've been sway from home. Kathleen, Lauren, and I broke it out on the dance floor...lots of fun!! This was a very cheap night...dollar beers and dollar spirits...$.43 cents for 1 drink...can't beat that!!