Piha and First Day at Uni

Sunday afternoon I went on a little day trip/hike to Piha on the west coast on the Tasman Sea with Borghild, Eike and Sawyer. It was a beautiful drive outside the city and there were great views of the sea and some mountains. When we got there, we parked the car and walked along the beach. We saw kite surfers, hikers, people with their kids and dogs, and jelly fish that had been washed up on shore. The waves were HUGE! The wind was pretty strong and there were warning signs of strong currents. In the middle of the beach was "Lion Rock." It looked like it would take us a while to climb to the top but it was blocked off half-way up due to unstable rocks. We ended up reaching the end of the little climb in less than ten minutes, but the view was great. We thought about staying up there to watch the sunset, but we had plenty of time to explore more of Piha.

We then walked a little farther down the beach to a trail that lead up above the beach and over to a cove. The waves crashed through and we took our shoes and socks off to wade in the water. It was a bit cold but fun. I got a little adventurous and decided to explore a little closer to the mouth of the cove where the waves were crashing in and a few minutes later the others followed. As the tide was coming in, the waves seemed to get bigger and bigger so we had to turn around and head back. Instead of walking back up to where we came from, we walked along the rocks to get to the main beach. Taking each step with caution, we had to time it right with the waves. I stopped to take a picture and before I knew it a wave was crashing up against the rock I was on and I was soaked from my knees down. I was just afraid the waves would be so strong that they would push me off the rocks but I was perfectly safe. We got back to the car and headed home to Auckland. After that day of exploring I was so tired that I got to bed pretty early.

Today I had my first day of classes. My first of the day was Comparative Animal Biology. It will be very interesting and a bonus is that one of my Marine Science professors will be lecturing in a few weeks. His name is John Montgomery and he is also my advisor. My next class was Communicating for a Knowledge Society. Some of what I will learn in this class includes how to present data to groups of people and how to write a good resume and cover letter. During the semester I have chosen to present a topic based on the Olive Ridley Turtles in Costa Rica. First we will be learning on writing a good abstract, then later have an eight-minute oral presentation on the subject, and last make an academic poster. My last class today was Antarctica. It seems very interesting and it's pretty much a self-taught course because it has online assessments and no lectures, just review sessions. The lecturers come from a range of backgrounds. The main lecturer does dolphin research. After class today I asked her about internship opportunities and if she knew anyone and she said that she hosts them, so I will be keeping close contact with her. Another lecturer works with antarctic birds and their DNA history. Very interesting stuff!!

Tomorrow I have Comparative Animal Biology and International Business (my general education paper). The job hunt continues. Though I applied online to different employers, I will need to stop in and speak with them. Well, here are some pictures from my day-trip to Piha!