Day 8-January 29

The Jet lag is starting to ware off and our sleep schedule is slowly lining up with the New Zealand time zone. However tired we were, we still want to get as much into the little amount of time we had in New Zealand.

Our venture into New Zealand starts with eating breakfast at The Parenting Place Cafe located only 2 min away from the hotel. Though the ride was short, driving on the other side of the road was as stressful as you could imagine. Jackson was driving, and he completely forgot about the road switch until he saw a car coming towards us. I don’t think I’ve ever screamed so loud in my entire life. He swerved to the other side before we were in serious danger, but not without the other car rolling past us, it’s driver screaming expletives out at us. We pulled into the cafe’s parking lot, more than ready to jump out of the car.

This cafe is special because all the food is vegan friendly and gluten free, which accommodates Jill's needs as a vegetarian and gives us all what we want! The cafe has a four star review, and it definitely lived up to its reviews.  This being said, Jackson, John, Rachel and I (Alyssa) ordered 4 vegan Cheesy bacon & potato bakes, and one Roast veggie frittata which is gluten free, for Jill. We also picked up 2 vegan chicken wraps for later- we figured that some of us might get hungry when we went out to hike. After this, we visited the Mount Saint John Domain (ecosystem) and hiked for 2 hours. The views were spectacular, and we all could finally appreciate the beautiful landscapes that belong to New Zealand. It's funny that they named St John's a mountain- considering it is a collection of somewhat large hills. Either way, the rolling hills and beautiful green grass had us all absolutely stunned. The crisp breeze and clear skies created an atmosphere of pure bliss. We sat down and took in the views from Mt. St. John’s crater, a beautiful spot where hills create a shallow valley. We talked for little bit, enjoying the fresh air until close to 11:00 AM.

After this we went to the hotel, which is a short drive away, to relax for 45 minutes before we headed out to go to the New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Million race (culture). This is located in Ellerslie Racecourse. Having to drive on the other side of the road to get to the racecourse was still a very thrilling experience. We all felt nervous because Jillian, of all the people in the group to drive, had control of the wheel. She tends to get distracted easily. Haha! 

Upon arrival from the thrilling adventures from the mountain and on the road, we are ready to watch the race and support those who are running. General admission was ten dollars, and we got settled in a good spot where we could easily see the race. The horses were all gorgeous. None of us have ever been to a horse race before, so this was a really amazing first for us all. We all placed 5$ bets on what horse we thought would win. Rachel won the bet, her guess, Xiong Feng, won. The race was great, and the sense of community at the stadium was overwhelming. People in New Zealand are very kind, especially to clueless tourists like ourselves. The only bad run in any of us have had was when Jackson was on the wrong side of the road- but who could blame the guy?

We end our day with a nice meal from the Hotel. We watch a movie in John and Jackson’s room, and then the girls retire back to our room around 12 PM, excited for what the next day brings us.