CU Abroad – Alison Keggan

Wow!  It is hard to believe that it is already the last week of classes.  It feels like I just left home headed on a journey half-way around the world, like I was just moving into my hostel, like I was just sitting through international student orientation, or like I was just excitedly preparing for mid-semester break.  While classes have been different and sometimes I may get frustrated living with “first years,” I have fully enjoyed being in New Zealand.  I feel as if I have a new “home away from home.”  However,   I’ll never forget the morning that I left my real home.  I debated and debated about bringing my winter jacket with me.  I had looked at plenty of weather averages for New Zealand and wondered if I would really need a jacket.  Since it was a two piece jacket, I thought maybe I would have a use for one (never both) of the pieces at some points and decided to bring it.  Not only did my bright pink jacket serve as a blanket and pillow on my flights, it has also kept me warm over the past several weeks.  While time has gone by pretty quickly, the chilly weather is a reminder of just how long I really have been enjoying my time abroad.  When I first arrived in New Zealand, normal dress was shorts, t-shirts, and jandals and once back in the United States, I’ll be able to wear the same.  I’m looking forward to that J

As one of my American friends and I were making hot chocolate the other night, we were joined by a Kiwi friend.  While using the microwave to heat up our milk, the Kiwi asked, “Can you put marshmallows in the microwave?”  Having done it before, my reply was “Yeah!  You can even make S’mores in the microwave.”  I guess I must have thought s’mores were a universal item, but my American friend soon caught on that they weren’t and asked if our Kiwi friend knew what they were.  Not knowing, we began to describe the gooey goodness of a s’more with the graham cracker, the chocolate, and the marshmallow.  One problem though: s’mores can’t exist in New Zealand because graham crackers do not exist in New Zealand!   Needless to say it was fun figuring out how to describe something I have not thought about in any other way than as a graham cracker before.  It was culture shock that I would have never predicted J    

This past week, campus has seen the miracle of life: several baby swans (called cygnets) and two baby coots (below). 

Regardless of the fact I think the weather is freezing, as we head towards winter, the birds seem to find it just lovely

This weekend has been my first complete weekend back in Palmerston North since I left for mid-semester break several weeks ago.  Adjusting back to classes, I wondered where my time in New Zealand has gone.  Part of me feels like it was just yesterday that I arrived off the plane in Auckland ready to make New Zealand my home away from home.  Nonetheless, I am confident that I have largely made the most of my time here, including this weekend’s adventure to “Owlcatraz.” 

Of course, a play on words, “Owlcatraz” is a park about 30 kilometres outside of Palmerston North in the town of Shannon.  The park was started as someone’s hobby of caring for owls and soon grew into a visitor attraction.  Today, the park is home to a multitude of animals, including two ostriches, a Kune pig, two donkeys, several deer, two steer, and six owls and also includes a cave of glow worms and the “ol’ Shannon jail.” 

The tour of the park first began with a trek into the glow worm caves.  Because it is so dark in the cave, everyone had to hold onto the person in front of them in order to stay on course.  While I have seen glow worms once already, it was unique to see them again, especially because this time, there were literally thousands of them in the cave all shining their light. 

Once done in the cave, the tour included a visit to the Kune Pig.  This type of pig was brought to New Zealand by the Maori people, not for its meat, but for its bristles.  The bristles from the pig can be cut off and used for items such as tooth brushes.  Apparently, George Clooney once had a Kune pig as a pet, or at least that’s what we were told.  Our next stop was to visit the two Jerusalem donkeys and then the two ostriches.  Once we had admired the ostriches, we saw two steers, which are male cattle.   The were not your average steers, though.  One of the steers was a Dexter cattle cross, a type of cattle breed.  Compared to your average cow, he was rather tiny.  The other steer was just the opposite.  He was absolutely ENORMOUS and standing next to him, I felt quite tiny. 

The last stop along the tour was to see the owls.  The New Zealand Owl has been given several names, including Morepork and Ruru, in Maori.  The beautiful creature is considered the only bird that has never been hunted in New Zealand.  Of course, when I think of owls, I can’t help but thinking of the “wise old owl.”  Similarly, in New Zealand, the owl has been considered the “priest of the forest” and for that reason, they have never been hunted.    

As our visit to the park came to an end, we finished the night with a dinner of fish and chips- practically a New Zealand staple.  And it was back to Massey to resume studying for classes J 

To see more about the park, visit their website:  http://www.owlcatraz.co.nz/index.shtml