Seabass Shreds Snowfest

Two days ago I was in the 2011 Spyder Snowfest and it is a  big event we have every year in Hermosa Beach.  It is sponsored by Spyder, Volcom, Electric, DVS, Matix, Rockstar, and Analog.  I dropped in on a 2 story ramp!!

Top of the Ramp 20' high

We went of a jump and then ollied over a car! 

After there were some hand rails and an up down box.  I was first down it. 

On the third run I tried to 180 over he car but I caught an edg at the last moment and fell and hit my face on the sharp landing.  I scraped my chin and I pushed my jaw down and it really hurts  when I open it.

After we did a raffle and you could win a Volcom snowboard, goggles, shoes, and headphones.  I was shredding to raise money for my school!

Sydney doesn't Suck!

I flew to Sydney, which is the capital of Australia!  We stayed with Penny and Robert for one night, they are friends we've known for a long time.  We had Thanksgiving dinner with Penny and Robert.   The next day we went to the train station and we went to our hotel by the Sydney Harbor.

We went to the Sydney Aquarium.  We saw lots of fish and we even saw penguins, but they weren't in their natural habitat so it wasn't as cool.  We saw a Spider crab and it's 10ft across!!  We also saw sharks, sting rays and humongous fish!

After the aquarium we took the ferry to Manly Beach.  We forgot our swim trunks so my mom let us body surf in our shorts, but it was ok because the water was really warm.  There were lots of surfers there and I was bummed because I didn't have my surf board.  After that we ate seafood for dinner and then got back on the ferry to go back to our hotel.  On the way to Sydney we saw the Opera House at night and it was big, beautiful and had lots of colorful lights. 

When we arrived at our hotel we tool a shower and hung out.  It was a long day and I'm very tired, but Sydney is a really cool place and I'd like to come back here again with all of my friends!


Later skater.

Jet Boating in Queenstown

Yesterday we went into town and hung out.  We shopped for a while, and I saw a bear that I really wanted.  It was made of greenstone and it had a fish in it's mouth.  It is 3cm long and 1cm tall. 

After we went jet boating.  There were lots of waves from the wind.  We drove out into lake Wakatipu.  We have a view from our hotel window.  Then we went off little waves and got lots of air.  

The name of the boat is Thunder Jets, and it went really fast and the driver cranked the music up really high, he was playing ACDC, Guns 'n' Roses, and Green Day.  It felt like we were going to hit rocks and sticks but, we missed them by inches.  We went on the boat for 1 hour straight!  The driver spun the boat around 360 degrees and I got sprayed in the face and got soaked!  The  jet boat could go in 6 inches of water because it pumped water through the engines.  It had no rudder. When the driver turned the steering wheel, the jets would move back and forth.  It was one of the most fun things we did in New Zealand.

Later skater.

Awesomely Awesome Dunedin!!!

Yesterday we drove to Dunedin which is four hours away.  We went to the Cadbury chocolate factory.  First we went into the place where a movie showed how chocolate was first made.  Then we went to a room where the ingredients for four different types of chocolate.  Dairy Milk, Dream, Dark chocolate, and Gold chocolate.  The ingredients for all the chocolates sugar, milk butter, sugar crumb, and cocoa beans.  The lady that took us on the tour gave out chocolate.  I got a lot!  The chocolate was free too.  We saw how buttons (chocolate chips) were made. It takes 15 minutes to make 1 million of those. That is a lot.  We went into a big storage container and we saw one ton of liquid chocolate drop down like a giant chocolate waterfall.  I got chocolate all over my face, and I licked it off.

Afterwards, we went to the train station and got picked up for the ride to a nature tour.  We saw the Royal albatross down by the beach and they have a giant 9ft wing span!!  They need wind to fly because they're too heavy to fly on their own.  After we went to see fur seals and sea lions.   They are very playful.

Baby Fur Seal

We also went to go see penguins!  3 penguins came out of the water and waddled up to where we were standing.  The Yellow Eyed Penguins are the rarest in the world and are endangered and they only live in New Zealand.  We also saw a Blue Penguin in it's burrow.  This nature tour was amazing to see all the endangered animals in their natural habitats and their environments.

Yellow Eyed Penguins Walking Up the Beach

 We drove back and I lost a tooth.  During the the car ride back I fell asleep, and when I woke up I got three New Zealand dollars!   It was AWESOME!!!

I Was Attacked By A Kea

Today we are driving to Milford Sound.  On the way we saw lots of sheep and where they filmed Lord Of The Rings.  We also saw a steam train.  Two hours into the drive We started to see natural waterfalls.  It was raining really hard for the trip, and the rain made so many waterfalls.  Then we saw them constantly, and when we stopped to look at the waterfalls a bird called to Kea flew on the roof of the car.  The Kea is a type of parrot that lives in New Zealand, and it started to peck and try and get into the car and then it started to rip the rubber into little pieces.  It had yellow feathers when it opened it's wings and when it closed its wing it was all green.  It was very playful and very curious.

A Kea wants to eat our car!

When we got on the boat at Milford Sound and we found our seats and then the boat started going.  We had to leave the dock before we could go outside.  We saw really tall waterfalls and the water was spring water so we could drink from it.

 Then we saw sea lions but we didn't see penguins.  We went to the last place to see penguins and we saw three!!  They were in their natural habitat.  I saw the blue bellied one and a yellow eyed one!

Yellow Eyed Penguin

We went home and I watched and watched Norwich vs. Arsenal.  Arsenal won 2-1.  Then we watched snooker. Snooker is a game like pool, but they have a table 6 feet wide by 12 feet long. They have to hit a red ball in first then a colored ball.  It was the finals but I fell asleep watching it.  It was so much fun!

Queenstown Rocks

Yesterday we flew into Queenstown on New Zealand's South Island.  We got our rental car and drove to the hotel.  Our hotel name is called Mecure.  We went to eat at a place called Nando's.  After my mom and I went to the gym.  I did push-ups, sit-ups, treadmill, elliptical machine, and the bike.  I was super sweaty and super tired, so I  went to bed. 

This morning i went to the gym again, and I did the same things as yesterday.  After I went to the pool. my brother jumped in after a while and I almost got pushed in!  My brother was freezing.  The pool was so cold.  We are going to go into town and investigate bungee jumping.  I might go bungee jumping.

Later skater.

Glowworm Poop Glows

Yesterday we went to Waitomo Caves.  I saw stalactites and stalagmites.  Stalactites look like icicles that grow from the ceiling.  Stalagmites look like pointy rocks that grow from the ground.  Stalactites and stalagmites are made of limestone and they grow one cubic centimeter every 100 years!

I saw lots of glowworms on the ceiling and I learned that their poop is the part that glows.  We walked through the whole cave and we saw lots of cool rocks and formations.  We then drove back to Auckland and stayed at a hotel close to the airport.  This morning someone burnt their toast and set off the fire alarm, so we all had to evacuate.  It was really annoying.  We are flying to Queenstown today, Queenstown is on the south island of New Zealand.

Later skater.

Say "Whakarewarewa" Three Times Fast

Whakarewarewa is a Maori village built around geysers and boiling water pools called geothermal springs. Geysers that spout steaming water out of the ground.  The water is steaming in the hot springs when the water comes up to the surface.  The magma in the ground heats the water in the ground and that's how the water steams.  That is really crazy.  It smells like rotten eggs there because of the sulphur and minerals in the water that come up to the surface.  I had to breath through my mouth he whole time!  It was really hard. 

My family went on a nature walk.  There were lots of lakes.  I saw bubbling mud.  If you stepped on the mud the you would fall through the really hot mud.  The geysers are caused by the springs.  The bubbling water springs are the hottest. 

Steaming Hot Springs

The Maoris lived around the hot springs and they used the hot water to cook food, to take baths, to swim, and to wash their clothes.  We saw Maori dancers in their meeting house.  The meeting house was located in the center of the village.  It had totem poles outside of it and people carved into statues.  The Maoris made traditional clothing from animal skins.

After we saw the spouting geysers, we walked around from shop to shop to try to find the perfect Maori spear.  The spear I wanted had feathers around it, had carvings in the front, and a special red rope the Maori's used to keep the feathers on.  In the Maori culture boys got to make spears when they were 8, that's when they started to train to be warriors.  I would have liked to be a warrior because i would get to make my own spear and I would get a big tattoo on my face.

I also bought a crystal kiwi for me, one for Ms. Lynch, and one for my class auction.  I think it will raise a lot of money in my class auction at school.  The kiwis are glass and very fragile and really really cool.

Later skater.

The Crazy Maori Warriors!!

Last night I went to visit the Maori tribe.  My Dad was nominated  as the chief with another person named Nick.  The Maori's did a weird dance with their spears.  They had tattoos all over their face!  I got to hold a spear and take a picture with them.  They would open their eyes big and wide and they would stick their tongue out to intimidate their enemies.  It was a ceremony and they did really cool dances and they would throw sticks to other tribe members and then they would throw them back.

Me and Julian with Maori Warriors!

The girls had soft balls on string that they would twirl, throw and catch and they made noise.   Our food was cooked in the ground, and my Dad dug our food out of the ground and we ate it.  They dug it out of dirt with cloths over it.  I ate sweet potatoes and chicken, I also ate  New Zealand green lipped mussels and then I had dessert.  Dessert was fruit salad with cake and potatoes.  I fell asleep on my Dad's lap and he carried me all the way home.  I think it would be cool to be a Maori because they get tattoos all over their face and they get to carve their spears any way they wanted.

                                                    IT WAS SO MUCH FUN!!!

Later skater.

Luge Rides in Rotorua – Awesome!

Yesterday I landed in New Zealand!  It was 13 hours on the plane.  I landed in Auckland a big city in New Zealand.  I went to the Ripcurl shop and then went to a sports bar to have lunch.  I asked for root beer and they gave me ginger beer. Ginger beer is like root beer except with ginger in it.

I went to the end of the harbor and then we went to the Auckland Museum. I saw a canoe that the Maori used, and it could hold up to 100 people!  The Maori are native people of New Zealand and I will see them tonight at one of their tribal ceremonies.

Today we drove 2 hours  to Rotorua.  We went on the Skyline gondola and we did luge rides.  Luging rides are like go-carting at full speed down a mountain side. I flew off little jumps and sharp bumpy turns with lots of hills. It was so fun!

I will go to the Maori village to see a ceremony tonight. They have tattoos on their lips and all over their body. Tomorrow we will go see the hot springs sprout out of the ground.

Oh and by the way, I forgot to tell you that Rotorua smells like rotten eggs because of the sulphur from the hot springs. Hahaha…

Later Skater!

Getting Ready to get on the Plane

     Just about ready to get in the taxi cab and go to the airport.  I just read about New Zealand and the population in the whole country is 4,000,000 people. 3,000,000 people on the north island and 1,000,000 on the south island.  The Kiwi is the best- known bird in New Zealand, and is the symbol of the country.

I will try and take a picture of the Kiwi and if I do I will post it and you con see what it looks like.  Later skater.

New Zealand here I come!

I will go to New Zealand and Australia tomorrow! I will go and see wild life and see beautiful mountains. I will go to  Sydney and see the Opera  House. I really want to go bungee jumping in New Zealand, I hope my mom will let me.

In New Zealand I will also go sightseeing and the plane trip is 2 days but we cross the date line so it is 17 hours.  I am so exited to go there and I am so lucky. Please leave comments or ask any questions while I'm there.

Later skater.

Boo Rainy Days!

It is raining in California today. I hate when it is raining.:( It might cancel my soccer game. I really wanted to go skating at Hermosa Beach Skatepark. Tomorrow is school and we have rainy day schedule. I have to be in the MPR listening to the kids scream.  Lets hope the sun shine comes out later!   I think rain means there is snow in the mountians. Later skater.

Welcome to My Blog

This is my blog. I'm going to write about my trips and other things. I'm going on a trip to New Zealand this week. I want to go bungee jumping off a bridge!


Please check back for new updates every day.