June 9th-15th = Second week of work + Weekend in Hamner Springs

My second week of work went by very very quickly. We finally understood what we had to do and did research non-stop every day. We felt like there were not enough hours to do everything we wanted!! We got a lot done and I feel more confident about our project. We are definitely progressing.

On Friday, 10 of us (4 students + our supervisor + 4 people from work + the cutest baby ever) left at around 3:30pm to go to Hamner Springs for the weekend. Hamner is about 2:30 hours away and is famous for its thermal pools. It is a very nice place to go if you want to relax and escape from the city. After settling in the house that we rented, we ordered pizza and started drinking a little. We played different card games and danced until really late. We had a lot of fun.

When we woke up Saturday morning, the weather was great and therefore, we decided to have a picnic outside for breakfast. Our menu: banana & chocolate chips pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, fresh bread, and croissants. hahaha...let's just say that no one was hungry after such a meal. During the afternoon, we went on a walk/hike up Conical Hill. It took us about 40min to get all the way up. The view at the top was quite nice.(We took some really funny group photos on top of Conical Hill but I don't have them yet on my computer. I will try to post a few as soon as I can.)

Little Carlos also made it to the top of the hill. He's just sooo adorable and cute!!


After our hike, we all accompanied Laura (our supervisor) to the nearest bridge because she had signed up to Bungy Jump!!! I was nervous and excited for her. Nobody else jumped because the other interns and I planned on doing so in Queenstown (the jump in Queenstown is higher). Watching Laura's jump actually helped me to mentally prepare myself. I now have a better idea of what I will shortly be facing but I am still SOOOO scared!! Anways.....we came back to the house and spent the rest of the night watching the All Blacks vs. England on tv.


On Sunday, we cleaned up the house and then went to the thermal pools. Once again, the weather was absolutely fantastic. We were walking around with our bathing suits without any problem! It was sunny, unusually warm, and the place was beautiful.




There were about 8 pools of diffent sizes, with water temperatures ranging from 36C to 41C (96F to 105F). It was great!! However, the only negative thing about thermal pools is that they SMELL. To best describe the odor, I would have to go with rotten eggs. It is the sulfur contained in the water that causes this unique aroma. hehe. The warmer the water, the stronger the smell. After a while you kinda just get used to it though. When swimming in certain pools, it is important that you keep your head above the water because the water is only partially treated and you could potentially get pretty sick.

Here we are, all 4 interns together in one of the pools. From left to right: Amber, me, Rob, and Susann.



Hamner Springs was great and we all enjoyed it. Too bad we have to go back to work!