A day in Auckland

We landed in Auckland in the morning and weren't leaving for Dunedin till 3.30 in the afternoon so had to fill in the day somehow.  We had heard about this butterfuly creek place which was like a mini zoo and it had a free shuttle so thought we would use the opportunity to check out some more nature.

As we turned up we got a little distracted by the awesome looking rope course that was next to the mini zoo.  After having a korero (discussion) we decided to split up as some of the group wanted to go climbing and some wanted to go to the mini zoo. 

It was a pleasant day and energy levels were low after a very brief 4 hour over night sleep on the plane, but somehow energy was found to either stroll around the park or be little monkeys swinging around on ropes.

For those that strolled around Butterfly Creek they saw: crocodiles, farm animals like goats, plastic cows, tarantulas, birds, a small aquarium with very tasty looking fish, monkeys, oh and of course butterflies!  There was also a dinosaur part where you walked around life-sized dinosaurs.   That was interesting and some of the dinosaurs also moved. 

For those that went climbing they had a good couple of hours playing around on the crocodile ropes course which was on two levels.  Once they completed the training level which was just off the ground they graduate to the first level.  Once that circuit was completed you then go even higher for the last level of the course. 

Universal studio day

This morning we woke up happy and with another magnificent view out of our rooms.  We over look a harbour and at night it looks very glamorous with all the lights and reflections on the water.  Breakfast was great - again a wide variety of foods to choose from; salads, fruits, pasta, pickles, sausages, eggs, and even fries and fizzy drinks!

At 10 o'clock we boarded the ferry that was to take us across the harbour to universal studios.  The trip only took about ten minutes and we all sat at the top enjoying the view.

Aaron, Matt and Eli chillin' on the boat.

Universal studio was alive and humming by the time we got there and after a not so long wait to get the tickets we headed in and started to absorb all the sights, sounds and smells of this amazing place.

Its very easy to make new friends at universal studios.

Ms Spencer with her new beau, Shriek.

Unsure of where to go first we just wandered around admiring all the styles of buildings and themes from movies.  We soon realised that although we had all day here a lot of it would be standing in huge queues up to 2 hours long if we wanted to go on any of the rides.

Watching some action at water world.

After wandering around a bit we decided to take the plunge and join the shortest queue we could find. We ended up watching a show and brief demonstration about how they did all the fire stints from the movie Backdraft.  It probably was really interesting having all the special effects explained but as none of us understood Japanese we relied upon our other senses to pick up what was being communicated.  The last part of the demonstration was a little scary as you felt as if you were inside a burning building, so quite relieved we scuttled out and headed into the fresh air and open space when it finished.

 Deciding to take more care in what we went into, we decided to split up as not everyone wanted to go on the next nominated ride which was Jaws.  Fires and a very big shark one after the other was full on but not to be perturbed everyone decided to take on the hour and something wait for the Jurassic Park ride.  While the wait was long the ride was worth it and enjoyed by all - not that you could tell by our faces.

Rose, Aaron and Olivia feeling very relaxed about the ride.

Has anyone seen Eli or Richard?

 Because of the long wait for rides we spent a lot of time just looking around, did a bit of shopping, ate some food and watched in amazement at all the people who had dressed up in costumes as part of their visit to the studio. You could even get your face painted. Many people that we saw chose zombies and they looked really gruesome.

Olivia, Aaron and Rose managed to get to the new Harry Potter area.  This had only opened last month and was very popular and very busy.  You had to get a special ticket that would only let you in at a certain time to try and stop it becoming overcrowded, but it was still very crowded.

Eventually our time had to end and our weary feet took us back to the boat were we gladly sat back and watched the night of Osaka pass us by.

A cruise ship - one that visits Dunedin had made itself at home by our port hotel.

We did a quick dump of our goodies at the hotel then headed into the food hall where we could choose what ever we wanted for tea.  Olivia and Ms Spencer opted for the last meal in Japan to be Japanese by going to a sushi bar, others choose subway which was finished off with ice cream for all!

We shall sleep well tonight and tomorrow we shall partake in the traditional Japanese sport of Sumo wrestling with our suitcases being the opposition as we try to stuff everything in.

This shall be our last blog for our Japan part of the trip as it will take us 2 days to get home.  Tomorrow we have to catch 2 trains just to get to the bullet train station, catch the bullet train to Tokyo and then another train to get us from Tokyo to Narita airport.  We have some hours to spend in Auckland as we wait for our Dunedin flight so will go to Butterfly Creek to see nature before returning to our lovely families who have missed us heaps (as we have missed them.) 

Thank you for following our blog and we hope you enjoyed it.   We all thank our parents and the school for allowing us to go on this amazing experience. 

Last day at Gifu

Last day in Gifu.

After our final leisurely breakfast with the grand view we then quickly packed our bags and used the remainder of the time to go play on the rivers edge and appreciate nature.  We saw some fish in the river, golf balls on the shore and lots of stones to throw.  We could’ve almost been in NZ with the beautiful scenery, warm pleasant temperature, clear green flowing river and good company.  It was a nice feeling of something familiar that made us all happy.

 Upon arriving to school we were whisked away to participate in a tea ceremony.  There were many  routines and traditions to follow and our hosts were very good leading us through it.  We were very pleased it was the much shorten version of the ceremony as it can go on for over an hour. We tried a sweet and some tea which were unusual. 

 Then it was our turn to give back to share some of our NZ culture.  Over the next two hours we taught groups how to play Octopus which was a challenge when you can’t explain in Japanese.  We must’ve been successful because everyone wanted to play it at lunch time and while most of the GSNS kids wanted to play dodge ball they were asked to organise Octopus. 

We also did some titi torea and a waiata with actions.  The titi torea sticks were enjoyed by the children and we taught them some great moves.  The last group was a nice easy quiet group colouring in kowhaiwhai patterns.   The GSNS children were the tutors and got better and better at teaching with each new group.  Some of the children swapped groups to teach another as it got very hot outside. It was great to see the sharing, tutoring and fun had by both sides.

 

Somewhat apprehensive the GSNS children then joined a class for lunch, wondering if they would be eating or not depending on what was served.  But first let's tell you a little about lunch times.  During class time desks are all facing the front in their own space, so no group desks. At lunch time desks are slid across the wooden floor to be joined together or put in a giant circle for eating.

All children get a meal provided, and they just have to bring their own chopsticks. The children take turns at being food monitors and put on aprons and masks to serve the food as well as leading the class in what is like grace. After eating we saw the junior children brush their teeth.  They then put dishes away in a trolley and the trolley is taken down to the kitchen area. 

So how well did our GSNS children eat at lunch time we hear you ask? Well let's just say they were very surprised and pleased to see that a piece of KFC had been slipped onto their plates amongst the  traditional Japanese foods. 

 

Play and duties, then into the afternoon where we were farewelled in the same fashion as we were welcomed in, with the school waving us goodbye. 

Our bus trip went quickly. About 3 hours later after everyone's electronics were drained, we arrived in a sprawling Osaka.  We had a slight panic as they had no record of our booking at the hotel but soon sorted out (heart stopping moment for Miss Hill and Ms Spencer).  We dumped our bags, grabbed our wallets and cameras and headed into the giant cube next door which was simply the most amazing aquarium ever!  You started at the top and made like a slow spiral down to the bottom.
On your way you see the most fantastic sea creatures like, a huge whale shark, a hammerhead sharks, sting rays, dolphins, seals, penguins, sea otters, spider crabs, the grooviest looking jellyfish, a chilled giant turtle and the craziest looking fish you'll ever see and so much much more.  

The children made the comment that they liked this aquarium much better because there seems to be so much more space for the sea life.  AND do you know what else we saw in the aquarium?  A sloth.  I know crazy right?  What would a sloth be doing in an aquarium?  Well not much from what we could see - hence we are guessing where the word sloth comes from. 

Darkness was upon us so it was time to grab a bite to eat before attempting the giant ferris wheel which would show how big Osaka really is (19 million people live here).   

Just when we thought eating in Japan couldn't get any more exciting, especially after sushi bars with moving plates and make your own sushi restaurants, we found something else that was fun to eat - Okonomiyaki.  

Okonomiyaki is what they call a type of Japanese pancake but that is misleading as it is made out of mainly cabbage and egg with some potato plus a meat of your choice.  So tonight children had cooked cabbage and they loved it!  The fun part was not the cabbage, thought Ms Spencer and Miss Hill were secretly pleased to see a good dollop of veges going into kids mouths, but the fact that it was cooked in front of you on the grill that was in the middle of the table.  The servings were huge and no-one managed to eat their whole serving. 

To finish off another wonderful day we all sat back and relaxed in a carriage on the ferris wheel as it took us up very high to show us the wonderful lights of Osaka city. 

Our carriages high in the sky.

View of the aquarium (blue, red and white building) and our hotel to the left of aquarium.

A bit later to bed tonight but we will be ready for tomorrow for a boat ride to universal studios.  Can't wait!

Riding the subways

School Day 2

As we sat on the top floor having another lovely relaxing breakfast, we were very pleased to see that the river had returned to its normal colour and flow.  Today we left for school a little earlier (8.45am) so that we could video conference with our parents and some of the children from GSNS.  We were very excited and had so much to say.  It was nice to see our families and let them know we are having so much fun. 

A quick snack and then off to the computer lab where the children were very excited because they were doing robotics.  There were about 15 sets so a whole class could do it.  Today they were just learning about sensors.

When the computer session ended we joined some junior classes for PE.  Two classes went out together but then split into girls and boys.  Each group then played their own game of dodge ball. 

Warming up before PE.

Lunch time was met with some hesitation as children were not sure what they would be getting. They were a little hot from running around and did not have much of an appetite. Our friends from Gifu would become very concerned if they did not see us eating so would encourage us to eat. 

Children in the background are serving lunch.  They wear coats, masks and hats to serve.

 As the same as yesterday, after lunch and play it was time to do duties.  Our children went off and did their part - toilets as well!

 Cleaning done and now off to English class with the junior classes and two English teachers - one Japanese and one American.  We became the tutors and so had to work with groups to help them with their English.  Before we started we had to sing "if you happy and you know it clap your hands". 

We finished school at about 2.30 and were taken to the Gifu tower which is 138m tall. The viewing tower is at 100m.  The view of course was great.  A quick play in the park then off to Cormorant fishing.

Cormorant fishing is an interesting way to fish.  The birds are used to catch the fish (because they are very good fishermen) but they have a tie around their necks which doesn't allow them to swallow the fish.  The fishermen then pull the bird in and then squeeze the fish out of their mouth.  The children weren't too sure about how the birds felt about it.

We were exceptionally lucky tonight and got a few extra bonuses on our boat trip. Because it was the last night of the season there were dancing ladies on a float that went pass and fireworks! 

The boat we all sat on while drifting down the river to the fishing spot.  We also had tea on the boat.  It was bento boxes again but the children were pleased to see there was a back up meal of McDonalds (even though it was cold).

The night was pretty special and enjoyed by all.  Ms Spencer may become famous as she got interviewed by a popular TV show that was filming the occasion.  She tried to speak some poor Japanese so may be they will not show it, or may be she has a new career in television in Japan!  She will wait for her agent to call.

Back at the hotel around 8.30 so not too late.  Tomorrow we will be taking some lessons with the younger classes, take part in a Japanese tea ceremony and then leave for Osaka. 
Till then ....

Check it out

We have just put in a video of walking around Japan under the first post called "We made it". 

Our first day at Gifu

This morning we awoke to a dry morning but still a little windy.  The water on the roads had gone but the river was very high and fast.  Our first thought was we will probably not be doing the Cormorant fishing tonight.  A little disappointed because we think tonight is the last night of the season.

Ms Spencer's cabin got up around 6.30am so we went for a stroll alongside the river and did what all kiwi's do and throw stones into the river.  We found sticks, made stone temples and dug up holes.  It felt just like home.  Amelia then found a baseball in quite good condition and then another one.  Ms Spencer only managed to find a soggy old tennis ball.  Olivia found a great bamboo stick that was perfect for a taiaha.  After some fancy moves we decided to then try it as a baseball bat.  It proved rather hard so gave up soon after.

8 o'clock was breakfast time and we sat ourselves at the top floor of the hotel overlooking the river while we munched away on things like bacon, mini sausages, pasta, noodles, dumplings, salads, personally made omelettes by the chef in front of a fry pan and numerous other choices, some of which we didn't know what they were. 

Full yet again and ready to face our first day at school we were picked up at 9.15am  by Mr Miyabe.  When we arrived at the school everychild was lined up waiting for us.  They waved NZ flags as we walked like celebrities down the human isle.  We reached a room which was our time out zone while waiting for class or assembly.  We felt very welcomed. 

Assembly was next and we presented a quick i-movie about our school, sang the national anthem and then exchange gifts.  We even introduced ourselves in Japanese.  We hope they understood our Japanese.

Our first class was Japanese calligraphy and we were all taught by the children in the class.  Our tutors were very kind and at the end we got to have our own calligraphy framed to take home.

Aaron having a go with careful guidance from his tutor.

Eli mastering the brush and Richard thinking about his next move.

Lunch was an interesting experience.  The GSNS children were taken into classes to sit at a work desk and wait for the class monitors to serve their lunch.  Ms Spencer, Miss Hill and Rose got to have lunch with the principal in the meeting room.  Today's lunch was a traditional bento box.  Most of the foods the children didn't know and only those willing to take a risk got fed.  As a result there were some hungry children at lunch time.

All this and a bowl of rice.

After lunch our children helped the school clean up.  All the students have jobs and they spend about 20 minutes cleaning the school, even the toilets!  No-one in our group offered to help with the toilets, just sweeping and polishing the floor.  All the students have a strong sense of duty and respect for their school.

Eli and Matt polishing the floor.

Richard following the line of sweepers.

 After duty time we left to go to visit Gifu castle which was up a very big hill.  The children groaned when Ms Spencer told them they were walking up it but then saw the gondola so knew that wouldn't be true.  The gondola ride was short but a great opportunity to see the sights around Gifu.  Matt and Eli counted the steps we had to climb to get to the castle - 380.  We wondered how many it would be from the bottom to the top.  The views from the castle were magnificent but we did not admire them for long as the wind was very strong and cold up there.

With so many steps to conquer on the way down, most of the children flew down with energy knowing that they were about to go to the squirrel park.  This was very cool because you put on a glove and you get to feed the squirrels.  Some of the squirrels also didn't mind been patted.

Olivia and friends.

 Even though it was very blustery at the top of the hill, the gondola ride was very smooth because it was nestled in a gully so sheltered from the wind.

The Gondola ride up and down the hill.

One of the views from Gifu castle.

Our next stop was a quick walk around the corner to see the second biggest Buddha in Japan.  Yes it was huge - over 13m tall and it towered over us.  He looked happy so the children were not afraid.

Finally tea time.  We were delighted to find out that the Cormorant fishing will be on tomorrow night so we haven't missed out.  That meant tea tonight was with some teachers again at another fun restaurant.  It was a smorgasbord with so many choices.  Mainly Japanese food but more variety than our bento boxes at lunch time, so there was something that everyone like.  Every time you went back there were different dishes appearing.  It was like Christmas and the presents kept coming.  As a result many were once again very full, especially after a very small lunch for some.  The highlight for most was the chocolate fondue.

Happily we got back to our hotel at a reasonable hour and in bed lights out by 8.30.