Titiro Pukapuka

Titiro pukapuka translates from Maori to English as 'to look at the book.' There was a lot of "looking at books" this past Reading Week. This week is designed to give our students time outside of the one or two weeks that they see their professor for class to complete their work. Students delved into poetry, scientific articles, and various novels. A favorite amongst students was Against the Tide, Towards the Kingdom, a story of the Urban Vision community in New Zealand. Students will have the opportunity to serve with Urban Vision for a day next week during our Wellington trip.

A handful of staff members went diving with New Life Pastor Brent Fearnley last Sunday. We all enjoyed the tasty treasures that were brought back!

We were all excited by the sight of a New Zealand Reef Octopus

Paua, a large sea snail, also known as abalone, makes some tasty patties.

Pastor Brent (pictured left) and Caleb (staff) harvested a few crayfish, which made a delicious addition to lunch. Kaikoura actually means 'meal of crayfish.'

Caleb (staff, left and top right) and Daniel (staff, top right) cooked some fish using a traditional Maori method: make a pocket in a piece of bull kelp and cook over a fire. The bull kelp adds a unique flavor.

We had a homemaking session on plant propagation, where Emma taught us how to properly start seeds, separate plants for repotting, and make cuttings for rooting. We also tied some fragrant herbs and hung them to air dry for later use.

Emma (staff, top right) gives instructions for potting plants (top right) and drying herbs (bottom).

Mid-week, we broke out the mattresses and watched Boy. This quirky, New Zealand-made movie is about Boy, an 11-year-old kid and devout Michael Jackson fan who gets a chance to know his father, who has returned to find a bag of money he buried years ago. There was plenty of popcorn and laughs to go around, and maybe even a few tears.

We were all reminded that despite the recent warm weather, it's still winter here in New Zealand. We had some flurries, which got everyone outside, yelling, "SNOW!" According to Emma, it was the first snowfall that reached the Old Convent since August of last year.

Sarah (Biola),  Jacob (Messiah), Kris (Messiah), and Tyler (Messiah)
celebrating outside in the excitement of some snow.
If you squint your eyes, you can see it; we promise!

Needless to say, we did more than "look at books" this week. And the grand finale? Two birthdays in a row! More on that to come.

Cheers!