Kayla Kindred's New Zealand Softball Journal

Kayla Kindred, a junior from Bloomington, Ill., will provide occasional journal entries about the Illinois Wesleyan softball team's January 2007 trip to New Zealand. The team is scheduled to play doubleheaders on Thurs., Jan. 4 against Wellington and on Sat., Jan. 6 against Hutt Valley.

Final Wrapup
Sunday we went to the airport and flew out of Wellington and had a 7 hour lay over in Aukland.  Some of our team was not able to make the last flight from L.A.X. to O’Hare so they arrived later on Sunday night than the rest of us.
The team had a wonderful trip.  It was great that our team was able to go over seas and meet such wonderful people. The competition was tough and one that will hopefully help us in our own season coming up this spring. It was a great bonding experience and one that will stay with all of us for many years to come.

Saturday, January 6
On Saturday our team played a doubleheader and we were defeated in both games.  Saturday night we were able to hangout and see downtown one last time before we headed to the airport early the next morning.

Friday, January 5
Today we woke up quite early and got on the Interislander and went to the southern island. It is a three-hour boat ride each way.
We were visiting the town of Picton.  It was a wonderful place we were only allowed about two hours there before we had to get back on the boat to get back to Wellington but while we were there the weather was wonderful and the sights were amazing.
On the boat ride we went over a part of the Tasmanian Sea where it meets another body of water and it is said to be the roughest in the world. We sure felt that part of the ride both on the way there and on the way back.  No one got seasick but for most of the ride there we were laying on the top deck trying to keep still and out of the wind. One lady asked us where we were from because she said no New Zealander would lay on the top deck like half our team was doing.
For dinner last night some of us found a place called Hogs Breath, where they tried to mimic a restaurant from the U.S. This is the best food we have had down here so far.
Tomorrow we have a doubleheader and it is our last night in Wellington.

Thursday, January 4
Today most of the team went around Wellington and saw where the movie "Lord of the Rings" was filmed while others went around the town and to the Gardens.  The Botanical Gardens were amazing but they are on the side of a mountain so once you get to the bottom you have your work cut out for you to get back to the top.
We had our first game at 6 and we played a team stacked with national New Zealand players.  We played one eight-inning game allowing each player to play four innings.  We gave them a tough battle but were defeated in the end.
After the game it was a whirlwind trying to find food because here everything closes early or if the business does not have many customers they will just close.
This has been our hardest struggle trying to find food to accommodate to our busy schedules. Tomorrow we are going on a boat trip to the southern island all day.

Wednesday, January 3
Today, Dave (the son-in-law of our assistant coach Lyle Day), who is from New Zealand, met us at the hotel and took us on a tour around the city.
The first stop was a little shop full of authentic New Zealand items where the team gave them the best business they have had in a while by buying almost the whole store.  Next we were off to the top of Mt. Victoria.  On our way we saw the boat that was used in the movie "King Kong."
As we drove to the top of the mountain the view was incredible.  We were able to see the city, the airport where we landed, and water in every direction.
For lunch we went to a little fish and chips shop. And in New Zealand you do not take your food "to-go", you have a "take-away".  So we had a take-away and went to a nearby beach.  Today was a bit warmer and the sun was out so we were able to have a nice lunch. We attempted to get into the water but it was very cold.
The evening was our harbor cruise.  Most of the girls were able to try fishing after we got out far enough in the water and some were more lucky than others. Kendahl McIntyre and Laura Johnson were able to catch at least six fish while Katie Dobry and Natalie Chase are still out there trying!
We ate dinner on the boat, and the captain (Bruce) cooked up some of the fish we caught if people wanted to try that.  Next we decided to provide some entertainment on the boat by having each class sing a karaoke song!  Tomorrow we have our first games and some people are going on a "Lord of the Rings" tour.

Tuesday January 2
Today we woke up to a very wet and cold day. The temperature was in the 40s here most of the day.  New Zealand is said to be as Chicago is in the U.S. in the fact that it is very windy. We headed off to downtown Wellington in hopes of finding a shopping area and also going to a museum.
The Te Papa museum was amazing. The museum focused on many cultural and historical aspects of New Zealand.  The museum took the group most of the morning to get through.  After lunch at Red Dog, a pizza place, everyone split up and looked around downtown.
In Wellington January 2nd is considered a holiday.  Because of this not many stores were open.  It was so cold downtown there were many of us, myself included, that did not pack for this kind of weather so we had to buy long sleeve shirts!  After we shopped we all met and half of us decided to stay in downtown Wellington for a few more hours and others came back to the hotel.
Those of us that stayed downtown got a taste of what New Zealand is like and we were able to learn more about their language and what they think of people from the United States.  We learned here you say "No Worries" instead of "thank you", there are two ways to flush a toilet, no matter where you go here you will spend at least 20 dollars, and you do not call it an ATM but a hole in the wall.
These helpful hints have made some of us not look as much like tourists, well all of those that are not very light skinned and have blonde hair, we will always look like tourists down here.
Tomorrow we are going to Mt. Victoria in the morning and then on a cruise in the evening if the weather will hold up for us. If it is as windy as it was today there may be a lot of seasick Titans.  They say this time of the year you can see whales out in the water so if we are lucky we may spot some.

Monday, January 1
We made it to Wellington, New Zealand around 6 a.m. this morning. As I am typing this it is still an hour away from when everyone at home will celebrate New Year's.  The trip started out rocky in O'Hare when only half of our team had seats on the plane to the Los Angeles. airport and both flights were overbooked!
Luckily, we all made it on the plane and boarded the 12 hour flight in L.A. The flight was a vacation in itself with all of the food, drink, and entertainment choices we received.  Walking off the plane in Auckland, New Zealand was very frigid this morning. It is around 50 degrees here today and very cloudy.  Since we have been in Wellington we have gone sight seeing and interacted with many natives.
Everyone here drives on the opposite side of the road.  Crossing the street has been a hard obstacle for our team thus far because we are use to looking left then right and here the traffic is coming from the opposite direction. We are back recovering at the hotel tonight from our almost 24 hour long travel to Wellington and tomorrow we are up at 9 a.m. for what we all know will be another eventful day!