semester 2. volume 1 2013 newsletter

7/30/2019 Semester 2. Volume 1 2013 Newsletter

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IFSA-BUTLER INFORMATION HEALTH & SAFETY TRAVEL ADVICE NZ STAFF TOP TEN REMINDERS HEALTH

NEWS AND REVIEWS PROFILES ANTICS SAFETY TIPS FACTS & FIGURES TRAVEL BIOS STAFF NEWS

GETTINGAROUNDENTERTAINMENTSTUDYADVIC

EQUESTIONS&ANSWERS

QUESTIONNAIRESRECREATIONPOSTCARDSFROMHOMEEVENTNEWS

SEMESTER 2/2013 NUMBER 1

IslandParadise

Student othe Month

Back to

Nature

AwesomeAdventures

Bunch ofFives

Goodtimes


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Contents

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Kia ora! Hi everyone! The semester is well underway

and no doubt you have had some feedback oncourse work you have already submitted. Dont forget

to make use of the academic support services oncampus if you are not sure why you have been gradeda certain way.

We prepped you at orientation about what to do inan earthquake and for the students in the lowerNorth Island, you now know what its all about. It is atimely reminder for students all over New Zealand ofwhat to do if the ground starts to shake: DROP (to theground), COVER (your head and neck or entire bodyby a shelter if possible), and HOLD (onto the shelterif there is one nearby, if not go next to an interior wall

with low lying furniture that cannot fall on you). Checkyour preparedness for an earthquake at: http://www.getthru.govt.nz/web/GetThru.nsf.

On a much brighter note we have some greatcontributions from students about theirexperiences in Aotearoa so far. Zach and Danny fromOtago have been regularly hitting the slopes, and Jess(Massey Wellington) describes hers and ColleensTongar iro Crossing. Beth gives some timely lessonsabout what not to do when she and some o her

Canterbury mates took a road trip inland. Our adviceis that winter roads can be treacherous so please staysafe and always drive to the conditions - if they change

From the Editor

IFSA-Butler NZ

99 The Terrace, Wellington 6011Website: http://newzealand.ifsa-butler.org/

Email: [email protected]

Phone: (04) 471-0145

reduce your speed! We have some quick fire gettingto know you questions from students around thecountry as well as some photo essays from Merideth in

Auck land and Sier ra in Otago. We would love to hearabout how you spent your mid-semester break for thenext newsletter so get in touch with your SSC, there isalways some Whittakers chocolate in it for you!

IFSA-Butler New Zealand runs some competitionsduring the semester where you can win cold, hardcash to spend on your extra-curricular activities. Checkout the entries here or the Student o the Month

competition. We also run the Iconic Images Challenge- your SSC will send you an invitation to upload yourphotos online. If you win a category you get your image

on a canvas - a fantastic Christmas present for a lovedone back home or a piece of art that you will hang onyour wall to forever have a part of NZ with you. The lastcompetition is the IFSA-Butler Staff Bucket List, thisto-do list is on your USB sticks and the student whoticks the most off the list will win $200!

Were always on the lookout for new ideas for theprogramme, or ways we can do things better.Email me or your SSC with any feedback or ideas youhave. We want to make the programme the best for thestudents so tell us what you think! Safe travels andkeep studying hard!

Sian Munro, Editor

4 New Zealand Experience

3 Bunch of Fives

10 Student of the MonthPhoto:SierraCocoziello,

UOT

5 Awesome Breaks


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NZ Experience

Six students set off on a two hour

drive in a rental car to the lovely

Craigieburn Forest Park and arrived

just as the clock struck 11. These

six students include four IFSA

Butler members: Leigh, Camden,

Michael and I, and two students

we met named Ellen and Tom.We began our uphill hike at 11:30

after a before picture in the valley

below....that was just the start....

The view was impeccable and

the weather was so gorgeous, we

had to take off most of our layers

and hike in t-shirts! At lunchtime,

Michael, Leigh and Tom decided to

tramp non-stop to the hut where

we would be staying the night. This

was approximately a five hour hike

from that point. Camden, Ellen and

I chose to tramp at a leisurely pace

fully taking in the scenery.

Five or so hours later, the sun

began setting for the evening and

the moon was soon to become our

main source of light. The trail began

to get treacherous, with snowy hills

and steep dips. We came to a rather

large river crossing where the trailwas lost. At this point our group

hoped that Leigh, Michael and Tom

had made it to the hut saely and

werent too worried about us. Wefound the trail, only to lose it oncemore.

At this point, Camden, Ellen and Iwere low on fuel, faith, and strength.

We decided it would be best tond a safe spot to camp out for thenight. Theres no wildlife to fear, sothe worst battle we would have to

ght would be against the weather.

We ate warm rice and after manyfailed attempts at starting a re,we decided to call it a night andsnuggled together to keep warm. We

awoke to snow on our faces. Thatescalated quickly, didnt it? Ellen wasanxious to get moving, so the three

o us shoved our numb eet into our

frozen boots and bundled up for theworst of the worst. Feeling unsteady,we took it slow and carefullymaneuvered our way back to the car.Tom, Leigh, and Michael caught upwith us about an hour into our tramp

back. Boy, were we relieved. It wasour rst indication that everythingwas going to be alright. The six of usmade it back to the car around 3:45.

In the clear, on the way...or so we

hoped. Michael turned on the car

only to nd we were unexpectedly

running on empty. Not a good start

to an already roughed up group,

but we hoped to make it to where

the hills fattened out in the town

of Springeld, where we could llup. After driving for about twenty

minutes, we saw cars pulled to the

side of the road putting on chains.

The news to reach our ears was

that chains were mandatory for safely

leaving the mountains. Our group

was chainless.

Ellen noticed a closed Bed and

Breakfast nearby with a car out front,

so Leigh and I went inside and meta nice man named Jason. He sold

us petrol, plenty to get us back to

An unforgetable trip to Craigieburn Forest Park could have ended badly....but it proved an

important lesson in look ing after yourself in the great New Zealand outdoors for

these six students. By Beth Coogan (CAN).

The trail began to gettreacherous, with snowy

hills & steep dips.. . .


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When going tramping always check in with DOC and see what they

say about the weather and the path conditions. You also need to

register with them in case something goes wrong

Always make sure you have a decent amount of petrol when you park

the car before you go tramping and know where the nearest petrol

station is

Never fit more people in your car than there are seatbelts

Always stick together when tramping

Take a map and if you reach a hut and know darkness will be falling

soon then stay in the hut

Hypothermia is a real risk in the NZ outdoors so dont get caught out Respect the environments you are going into and when possible try

go with someone who is more experienced than you

More Tramping Tips...

Arthurs Pass. On our ride there, it

was decided that we would spend

the night at a motel and go home

the following day, after ta lking to the

DOC (Department of Conservation)

about safety. We spent the night in a

motel, got warm food into our bodies

and popped in The Lord of the

Rings: The Two Towers.

This night, we all s lept like babies.

The next morning, after checking

with the DOC, we bought chains

and began the journey home. We

took them on and off probably about

eight times, due to road conditions.

The group of us made it safely to

Springeld at approximately noon.

We should have checked in with

the DOC before leaving, just so we

could have been better preparedfor snow on day two. We should

have gotten petrol in advance. We

should have rented chains, just to be

safe. All of these are should have

lessons we learned. We were still

perfectly supplied, layered, and in

good company and the views were

absolutely incredible.

You probably know the physical factors that can create high risk situations,

such as changes in weather, or lack of waterproof gear. But what about

social and psychological factors? Check out these points to make sure

youre prepared......

1. Feeling too familiar with the

situation: The it cant happen to

me illusion. Many incidents have

occurred after near misses in thesame area.

2. Dropping your guard: Ater

getting familiar with a situation,

risks can arise when we stop

monitoring our surroundings. Stay

alert.

3. Risk Shift: We tend to be

brasher and riskier in a group. This

leads to poor decision making and

can extend weaker members of a

group too far past their skill levels.

4. Get-home-itus: This means

forgetting to monitor risk once the

end is in sight. Many incidents

have occured when people do

dangerous things just trying to get

home for dinner. Stay alert.

5. Attribution Theory: We tend

to blame our mistakes on external

things (gear etc) and take the credit

for good things. In an incident,

separate blame from responsibility

and reduce further risk.

6. Risk Homeostasis: A personallocator beacon (PLB) is a usefulsafety item but treat it as a backupfor emergencies - not a licence totake extra risks.

Risk Management in the Outdoors

These symbols appear on NZ tracks

- use them to know your limits:

Easy Short Walk Access:

These tracks are accessible topeople of all abilities

Short Walk: Easy walking forup to an hour on well formed,mostly flat track. Suitable formost abilities and fitness.Streams & rivers are bridged.Walking shoes required.

Walking Track: Easy to

moderate walking. Somesections may be steep, roughor muddy. Clearly sign posted.Streams & rivers bridged. Low

to moderate fitness. Walkingshoes/light boots required.

Great walks/Easy

Tramping: Track generallywell formed, may be steep,rough or muddy. Moderatefitness. Limited backcountry(remote areas) experiencerequired. Marked track &bridges Light boots required.

Tramping: Challengingday or multi-day tramping/hiking on a track mostly

unformed with steep, roughor muddy sections. Goodfitness. Moderate to high levelbackcountry skills. Navigation& survival skills needed.

Route Tracks: Challenging.Unformed, very steep naturaltrack. Above average fitness,high skills needed.

Information fr om: http://www.mountainsafety.org.nz/Safety-Tips/Know-your-limits.asp


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The Pacic islands and people are an integral par t of New Zealands identity and

culture. More Samoans live in New Zealand than Samoa. The Cook Islands, Niue

and Tokelau have a special relationship with NZ and are classed as under the Realmof New Zealand. The islands are beautiful, the people are friendly and they take

relaxation to a whole new level. Think about doing a stop over on the way home or

just a side visi t. You wont regret it. By Kate Davidson & Sian Munro.

Awesome Breaks

Tonga

My sister and I spent a week in

Tonga in June - a holiday with pure

relaxation at the heart of it. We

stayed at Blue Banana which is a

guest house run by an Australian

couple. It sits right on the beachand you can kayak, snorkel, paddle

board, and hire bikes. From Blue

Banana we biked down to some

blow holes, which were pretty cool.

It was great to go through villages

and say hello to the locals and see

a different way of living compared

to Western lifestyles. The pace of

life is much slower and much more

relaxed.

We went snorkelling everyday,seeing both Nemo and Dora. I also

went paddle boarding for the first

time, which I highly recommend.

On the last day, we went out to an

island resort and decided to go

snorkelling so jumped on a wee

dingy and headed out to sea.

My sister had a wee shark phobia.

The guide just laughed and dived

in the water - after some major

coaxing she eventually gott in and

boy was it worth it. Not a shark

in sight and an incredible reef! I

cannot begin to do it justice with a

description. All I can say is: go.

From June to November, humpbackmothers and calves migrate throughTongan waters. If you have enoughdosh you can pay to go swimmingwith them or watch them. It isone of the big tourism drawcards

of Tonga over the other islands.Food isnt super great in Tongaso it is worth buying food hereand taking it over (as long as itdoesnt threaten bio-security). Wehad self-catering accommodation,which was cheaper and a bit lighterthan the heavy ood at some o the

resorts. Each town has a local shopwhere you can get fresh bread andeggs.

Highlights: Amazing reefs, no timepressures, very friendly people,the delicious lamingtons from thebakery in the capital Nukualofa,and pure relaxation. Tonga was ablissul holiday destination

Samoa

Samoa is made up of two largerislands and a number o smaller

islands. The main island Upolu ishome to the capital and only city;Apia. When in town, a cultural

performance and traditional foodspread at the famous Aggie Greyshotel is a must do. Then hit upthe market for fresh mangoes andcoconuts!


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Cook Islands Rarotonga

Rarotonga is the largest island in the Cook Islands

and Nationals are all New Zealand citizens. Beaches

have white sand and the water is clear, blue and

warm. The centre of the island is made up of

numerous volcanic peaks covered in vegetation.

There are tracks in the bush but they are not always

well marked. It is largely unpopulated due to the

unforgiving terrain. The best way to explore the island

is to hire a scooter. You have to sit a drivers test with a pol ice offi cerand they issue you with a 12 month Cook Islands license. T IP: If youre

going with a friend you can save money by one of you sitting the test

and halving the cost of the transport by riding tandem. Its awesome

just cruising around then stopping at a beach that looks inviting and

uncrowded. The roads are flat and the traffic is slow!

A great thing about going to the Cook Islands i s that you dont need toconvert any money as the New Zealand dollar is their official currency.You can get Cook Island notes and coins but they are the equivalent ofthe NZD. One of the highlights was a half day snorkeling cruise out to thereef, swimming out to the edge of the reef and seeing nothing but miles

of ocean beneath and beyond us was breathtaking.There are supermarkets to purchase your necessities in the CookIsland capital of Avarua. Imported food that we would consider stapleslike bread and milk are very expensive so its best to stick to freshproduce from the side of the road stalls and why wouldnt you want tolive on fresh locally grown fruit while in the tropics! There are plenty ofgood restaurants with local dishes to try and there is a Nightlife Tourfor those wanting a bit of excitement. We went to a dinner show withtraditional drumming, dancing and singing at one of the resorts andcrowd participation was a must. Its a tropical paradise and I would highlyrecommend a visit! Sian.

Highlights from the main island is

sleeping in an open fale (house) on

the beach and having the sound

of the sea soothe you to sleep.

The is land is very diverse in its

scenery with beautiful beaches

and high hills covered in tropical

forest. Take a local bus; they are

loud and colourful and its a great

way to meet the locals.Jumpingis a big part of any trip to Samoa;

jumping of f wate rfal ls and off the

top of caves into fresh water cave

pools which sit right next to the

ocean. You can snorkel, surf, fish,

bird watch. There is so much to

do. Papaseea Sliding Rock is an

awesome natural water amusement

of rock slides and waterfalls. Just

be sure to take a spare pairs of

shorts as the rocks have been

known to leave a rip or two.

There was a cyclone while we were

in Samoa. Water and electricity

was out or days so instead o the

traditional Western shower we had

to go down to the local fresh water

holes where everybody bathed

(modestly of course!) - a unique

insight into the local culture.

One of the highlights was doing a

tour of the second largest islandSavaii with its beautiful beaches,

bat caves, volcanic geology, and

impressive blowholes on the

coast. We threw coconuts down

the blowholes and then watched

the waves come in and shoot the

coconut back into the sky like a

canon. Savaii is also known for its

good surf and beautiful beaches.

Beaches, water holes, underwater

caves, jumping off waterfalls,sliding rocks, incredible culture,

tattoos, and turtles - Samoa is well

worth a visit. Kate.

.. .seeing nothing but miles of ocean beneathand beyond us was breathtaking...


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Awesome Breaks

Hey everyone, hope you all are having a wicked timein New Zealand and have been able to do plenty ofexploring. We spent the first few weekends up inWanaka and Queenstown to do some skiing so here isour rundown of skiing culture here. Queenstown andWanaka have a bunch of great hostels. Weve stayed atthe Purple Cow, which is the YHA in Wanaka, and itsbeen a super great place to stay (about $30). A greatkitchen for breakfast and dinner off the mountain, plusnighttime activities if youre looking to lay low and play

pool, watch a movie etc. The Wanaka Backpacka andBase Wanaka/Queenstown are also great.

If youre looking to save a little money, renting atent and camping out is extremely fun. Theres afree campground right outside of Wanaka. The MtAspiring Campervan Park in Wanaka has a hot tub,sauna, outdoor grills and plenty of other amenities(trampolines!!!!) for $14 a night. We stayed one nightat each last weekend and had an absolute blast bothnights.

When it comes to the ski fields themselves, you really

cant go wrong. Treble Cone is my personal favorite:lots of steeps, cliffs and natural features to rip around

Danny Leaman &Zach Hartnett (UOT) have been going hard on the snow-covered slopes of the lower South Island.

Heres their report on ski culture, on and off-piste at New Zealands premiere alpine resorts...

on. Also plenty of groomers for beginner skiers. I highlyrecommend demoing a pair of skis for free if the dudesfrom Base Sports are there. Cardrona has more of aresort feel, and would be great for beginners. They alsohave a world-class terrain park and some respectableoff-piste terrain as well. Lastly, the Remarkables inQueenstown has a similar feel to Cardrona. Their terrainpark isnt as big as Cardronas but is still really fun andtheres some nice terrain on the left chair. I wasnt ableto do any but theres some incredible hike-accessed

terrain at the Remarks that would be unreal on apowder day. As for the aprs-ski activities, both theMint Bar and Water Bar in Wanaka have a really coolvibe and the Mint often has some good drink specials.Hope to see you guys up there for some shredding!

. . .Wehadanabsoluteblast!. . .Whenitcomestotheskifieldsthemselves,

youreallycantgowrong. . .

Chilling at Lake Wanaka

TheviewfromTrebleCone


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Wildelements. . . .ruggedbeauty. . . .

Sierra Cocoziello, UOT: I went with another IFSA-Butler student and her flat (students from the UK,Austral ia and the US!) to Mi lford Sound. Making aweekend out of it, we drove up on Friday and campedout (yes, even in the winter!) at Gun Lake just outside

the Milford Sound tunnel. On Saturday we did a dayhike on the Routeburn Track to Key Point, where wehad an amazing view. After staying in a Lodge next tothe water, we woke up early to get on board for a boattour. The views were spectacular, and the five of uswere in awe the whole time. It is the most breathtakingplace I have ever been - I felt like it wasnt even real.On the way back home, we pulled off beside a lake tocome out to this cute little rock beach with mountainslooming over it. We had to pull ourselves away to getback on the road. An experience I will never forget!Then recently, the Uni Tramping Club led a tr ip of

60+ students to Mount Aspiring National Park forBush Ball, a themed dance party/formalball. There were over 10 other IFSA-Butlerstudents from Otago, as well as peoplefrom Germany, France, Sweden and NewZealand! Hiking in to the hut (it had beds forall of us) was a blast even in the rain, andthe Saturday we danced the night away. Itwas Great Gatsby-themed so we were alldressed up, even though we were hours intothe woods - one of my favorite experienceshere so far because of the cool people,

beautiful scenery and chance to get out andhike with other like-minded students!

Merideth Tumasz,UAK : On 27 July, a few IFSA-Butlerstudents, as well as some students from other study

abroad groups, headed to the West Coast of the North Islandto explore Piha Beach. We visited Kitekite Falls, KarekareFalls, as well as Lions Rock. It was too cold to go swimming,but we definitely waded into the water and got our toes wet!There was so much to do that it s h ighly likely we wi ll be backthere beore our time here is over!

Spectacular Milford


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Student of the MonthHere are the Student of the Month entries for this newsletter - tales of four very dif ferent adventures but all taking the

participants out of their comfort zones in one way or another. Vote for your hero/ine on the IFSA Facebook page.

Entry 1: Tuck Berthiaume, MAABungy jumo, Harbour Bridge Entry 2: Jessica Cook, MAWSpirit of spontaneous adventureIn a spur of a moment trip, we literally jumped on the first bus to TongariroNational Park to hike the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. The 8-hour hikeincluded hiking over old lava flows, getting up and close with Mt. Doom(for those Lord of the Rings fans), climbing active volcanoes covered inice, and then sliding down them! Along the way we learned how to use

crampons and ice picks, atelunch on top of a volcano,and watched one eruptsteam! This hike allowed meto see the most beautiul and

unique terrain I have everseen. One minute you willbe digging your cramponsinto the ice, and the next youcould be sitting on warm,clay-like rocks. It is a longerhike, but never were we tiredof the amazing sights andadventure it had to offer.

Entry 3: Anna Byon, UAK

Developing creative skills

The Palace Dance Studio was founded by Parr is Goebel, an Auck land-based choreographer whose visions have led to the prominence ofthe resident The Royal Family megacrew in the international hip-hopcommunity. The studio is located in Penrose, and it is a conveniently shortbus or train ride away from Auckland Central. The opportunity to train with

such inspiring figures in hip-hop was one of the main reasons I chose tospend my semester abroad in Auckland. It is definitely a once-in-a-lifetimechance, and I am excited to really grow as a dancer during my time here.

Tuck brave ly took up the chal lengeof jumping off Auckland HarbourBridge, following in the footsteps ofNZ bungy legend AJ Hackett, whofirst jumped off the bridge in 1987,only to be arrested and detained by

maritime Police. Luckily for Tuck,the experience is now legal (thoughthe thrill is almost criminal!).

...the most beautiful and unique terrain

I have ever seen... .


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Leigh in winning form, and geng down & dirty withher team aer a post-match mud ght (right).

Entry 4: Leigh Longmire, CAN

Star soccer player & volunteering

Leigh wasted no time becoming part of her newcommunity. She joined the womens university soccerteam and scored two goals in two weeks! Last weekher team won 3-0 with her scoring one goal. The next

Saturday her team drew 1-1 with Leigh scoring the

Entry 5: Lee Menke, VUW

Horse trekking, Cape Farewell

Before arriving in New Zealand, I discovered the CapeFarewell Horse Treks in Puponga. I thought it would bea fun activity to do on a free weekend; so I organizeda group and put things in motion. On Saturday 10August, the five other people accompanied me onthe Wellington Interislander Ferry. Because we weretraveling so far and doing so much in so little time,

every deadline had to be met in order to make it backby Sunday night. After arriving in Picton at 1:35 p.m.

only goal. What a star! Leigh has also got involved withChristians on Campus and attends weekly meetingAND volunteered in New Brighton with the StudentVolunteer Army last weekend to serve midwinter dinnerfor the Burwood Community as part of ChristchurchRebuild. Way to get into the Kiwi way of life Leigh!

on Saturday, we picked up our rental car and drovethe four hours to the YHA Hostel in Takaha. The nextmorning we woke up to rain, but nothing was going tostop our horse adventure. We drove into Puponga, metour guides, and took off on our horses. As we beganto ride up through the hills, the rain stopped and theworld below revealed itself from the parting fog. It wasa breathtaking view. After our trek, we drove five hoursback to the ferry and made it home by 12:00 a.m.

Just in time to finish our homework for the followingschool day.


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NewZealandis edited and distributed by the NZ Oce, Instute for Study Abroad, Butler University, for IFSA-Butler Students and Sta only.Arcles and ideas are welcome! Email: [email protected] IFSA-Butler New Zealand 2010

NEWS AND REVIEWS PROFILES ANTICS SAFETY TIPS FACTS & FIGURES TRAVEL BIOS STAFF NEWS GETTINGAROUNDENT

ERTAINMENTSTUDYADVICE

QUESTIONS&ANSWERSQ

UESTIONNAIRESRECREATIO

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EVENTNEWS

Fun

Friends

Educaon

Experience

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