Hello again from over 6,000 miles away!
I have just finished my first of three weeks in New Zealand and so far, apart from a couple days of feeling homesick (where I was really missing my parents, friends, boyfriend, and even my little brother), I’ve been having a blast!
This past weekend I went on a four-day trip with my family. We went to Rotorua, which is a town basically inside of a volcano (not the Mt. Baker type of volcano, but more of an upside down version of Mt. Baker where the tip of the volcano is actually underground). 
It was very very cool but smelled of rotting eggs due to the sulfur. While in Rotorua we went Luging. A luge is like a mix between a sled and a go-kart. It was scary going very fast downhill on a track in those!
Also in Rotorua, we went to Te Puia, an area controlled by a tribe that lived in New Zealand before Captain Cook discovered it. We learned about their culture and watched some tribe members dance. But best of all, we saw their geyser! The geyser is supposed to go off two to three times an hour, but we waited and waited and it hadn’t gone off. I INSISTED that we stay until it went off because I had never seen a geyser before, and I’m glad we waited (even though I got a sunburn to show for it). The geyser shot high into the air and was amazing! I took WAY too many pictures of it (haha).
The next day we ventured off to glow worm caves! It was the most amazing thing ever! We walked through this cave and learned all about the cave system. When we got to the cathedral (highest part of a cave) our tour guide sang to us because among other artists, Snoop Dogg and Bono had sung in there because of its great acoustics! We then took a silent boat ride through the waters of the cave to view the glow worms (which glow because their blood glows, not their poop as we originally thought). It was like there were thousands of stars, except these stars were larger and closer to you. I have never seen anything like it.
Today we did a little bit of shopping before journeying home. It rained for the first time since I’ve been here. It was a weird experience because I’ve never been in a downpour of rain that is still warm. I was all bundled up in my sweatshirt and jeans and then realized that it was still warm.
Well, on to another week! Until next time!
Kelsey Rowlson
