well in wellington

it's week two of our human rights mission, and what can i say, human rights law academics have huge egos, and new zealand is a small country, so i'm surprised we all fit here. after having been split into three different groups all over the two-island country last week, we finally reunited in nelson for a weekend of "relaxing". and if relaxing to you means a five hour hike one day, and sea kayaking the next, then ok. otherwise, i'm still tired and sore from relaxing and need a vacation from this whole trip. okay, i'm not complaining, really, cause we got to kayak in baby seal dens and had a dolphin escort us around the ocean. and it's beautiful and okay, i take it all back.

so we went on a beautiful hike that our trip planner told us would be 2.5 hours, and we had to cross over a bank that filled with water at 3pm. so we are hiking one of the most beautiful trails in NZ (according to people who are able to say these things credibly, although the source escapes me now) and make it across the bank that was already starting to fill with water, and required us to walk through growing rivers of freezing cold water. when we finally made it to the other side, we decided to cop a squat and relax for a bit. we might have also decided to straggle a bit to stay away from the professors who were also hiking with us. so it's four of us, all smart, independent women. we get to what we think is the end of our journey, and get to map, read the map, and start on what should have been the 25 minute trek to our lodge, which is located in the middle of the forest, maybe a few km from the beach. by this time it's about 4, and the sun sets in NZ winter at 6. i think my foreshadowing is doing a good job at hinting that we got lost in the woods, it was cold, and we were alone. how is this possible when there is ONE trail, and there are only two directions to go on it? well, we argue (and well, because we're training to be lawyers) that the signs were crappy. so long story short, it was dark, and we could see the lodge, but couldn't get to it, because we couldn't walk through the bush. finally, we turn back and come across a steep trail that we decide will lead back to the lodge, and it does. for those of you who know me, i don't scare easily, and i was almost freaked out. but we're alive, and it's all a good story, now, isn't it?

last week, i was with two other students and two professors, one of whom is a flamboyant gay italian man, and the other an outspoken black woman. let's just say we barely got a word in edgewise, but it was a good way to start out the week. we met with some pretty cool activists in this small community of organizations who deal with domestic violence, and it was just neat to hear all their opinions and know who they were referencing when it came to major players in the whole community, since we had, or were going to speak to them. this week, we're meeting with government officials, and today, are meeting with a judge who has a reputation for throwing people out of his office. so we're practicing our people skills at breakfast. we are also watching flight of the conchords to learn the ways of the NZers. appropriate cultural immersion, wouldn't you say?

okay picture time!

delicious?

the water gets so shallow during low tide, so our water taxi had to be towed through the sand/water up the shore. the water recedes in the kilometers. kinda cool.

baby seal friend.

kayaking friends.
lunch break.
small plane, big smiles!

the "beehive" (NZ's capital) in Wellington.