Fat Tui's

Fat Tui's is a burger joint that is basically a van parked in a dirt parking lot in a tiny super sleepy fishing town in the middle of nowhere South Island, New Zealand. Now before you blow this gem off... I am going to break down the anatomy of a Fat Tui, first is the bun, then the salad, then the patty. Read on.

So You Think That Money Is The Root Of All Evil?

"So you think that money is the root of all evil?" said Francisco d'Anconia. "Have you ever asked what is the root of money? Money is a tool of exchange, which can't exist unless there are goods produced and men able to produce them. Money is the material shape of the principle that men who wish to deal with one another must deal by trade and give value for value. Money is not the tool of the moochers, who claim your product by tears, or of the looters, who take it from you by force. Money is made possible only by the men who produce. Is this what you consider evil?

"When you accept money in payment for your effort, you do so only on the conviction that you will exchange it for the product of the effort of others. It is not the moochers or the looters who give value to money. Not an ocean of tears not all the guns in the world can transform those pieces of paper in your wallet into the bread you will need to survive tomorrow. Those pieces of paper, which should have been gold, are a token of honor--your claim upon the energy of the men who produce. Your wallet is your statement of hope that somewhere in the world around you there are men who will not default on that moral principle which is the root of money, Is this what you consider evil?

"Have you ever looked for the root of production? Take a look at an electric generator and dare tell yourself that it was created by the muscular effort of unthinking brutes. Try to grow a seed of wheat without the knowledge left to you by men who had to discover it for the first time. Try to obtain your food by means of nothing but physical motions--and you'll learn that man's mind is the root of all the goods produced and of all the wealth that has ever existed on earth.
"But you say that money is made by the strong at the expense of the weak? What strength do you mean? It is not the strength of guns or muscles. Wealth is the product of man's capacity to think. Then is money made by the man who invents a motor at the expense of those who did not invent it? Is money made by the intelligent at the expense of the fools? By the able at the expense of the incompetent? By the ambitious at the expense of the lazy? Money is made--before it can be looted or mooched--made by the effort of every honest man, each to the extent of his ability. An honest man is one who knows that he can't consume more than he has produced.'

Hanmer Springs

Hanmer Springs is a cute town on the South Island of New Zealand. We went to Hanmer Springs as part of my University of Waikato's semester break. Hanmer Springs is a not what I thought that it was gong to be. The town has a few cute cafes, a tiny grocery store, and the springs. Now the springs are not as awesome as I thought that they were going to be... I mean, the entire town is named after these springs, they has got to be awesome right?

Arthur's Pass

Credit: Alexandra Bertin
Arthur's Pass National Park is west of Christchurch. On the way to Arthur's Pass you drive right past Castle Hill, an awesome must see. The mountains on both side of you as you drive through are just massive and give you the feeling of being totally insignificant.

Gibbston Valley Winery

After we went to Alexandra, we drove to Gibbston Valley Winery in the Central Otago grape growing region. Gibbston is home to some of the best pinot noir on the planet... so I've been told. We signed up and did a cave tour that also included a wine tasting in the cave.

Alexandra

There is a tiny town in the middle of the south part of the South Island, of New Zealand called Alexandra. Why did I go to Alexandra? Well my friend who I was traveling with on our University of Waikato's semester break was conveniently named Alexandra... so naturally we needed to go there and take pictures of her in front of ever single sign that said 'Alexandra', so we did. These are some of my personal favorites.

TIKA 163: Introduction to Traditional and Contemporary Māori Society

This past semester I took at The University of Waikato TIKA 163: Introduction to Traditional and Contemporary Māori Society. This class has taught me so much about not only about the Maori, but also about New Zealand. I have had a lot of interactions with my fellow Maori students, some examples of some cool (and funny) cultural encounters are that a group of the Maori students did not know where Ohio was within United States (I don't blame them for not knowing) and when I started to tell them where it was, one student asked me how far Ohio was from California.

TIKA 157: Introduction to Maori Performing Arts

This past semester at The University of Waikato I took TIKA 157: Introduction to Maori Performing Arts. The only pre-requirements are just an open mind and a willingness to shake that groove thing! Well TIKA 157 is not so much of booty poppin kind of 'dance', but more of an understanding to the meaning's the type of dances and cultural impact that kapa haka have on the Maori people.